Countdown to Kyiv Conference

Three more days till CIPE’s Kyiv conference marking 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall! While many around the world have commemorated the fall of the Wall this week by looking back at the economic and political developments during the transition, this conference will focus on the future of reform across the region. A key constraint to consolidating democracy and market economies in the post-communist countries is a lack of knowledge about effective strategies for reform. At this two-day conference, CIPE and about 70 past and current partners will be cataloging first-hand lessons from successful and unsuccessful transitions and will devise strategies to address the remaining challenges to democratic and economic reform.

This conference is a unique opportunity to hear from prominent reformers at the forefront of ongoing transition efforts. The event will focus on improving the quality of both content and implementation of democratic and market-oriented reform initiatives in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Participants will seek to answer such key questions as:

• How to forge democracy that delivers economic development in the region?
• What helped the countries of Central and Eastern Europe move their economic reforms forward?
• What are the lessons that could benefit future reform efforts in the countries of the former Soviet Union and Southeastern Europe?
• Considering the remaining challenges to reform across the region, how can CIPE and its partners play a role in advancing future reform efforts?

This event will contribute to CIPE’s continued efforts to build a network of reformers throughout Eastern Europe and Eurasia and strengthen communication among partner organizations. Think tanks and business associations will discuss strategies for developing sustainable reform-oriented organizations and best practices for strengthening institutional capacity. The conference intends to enhance understanding of how to build synergies between these two types of reform organizations, through such tools as the National Business Agenda. CIPE partners will share their views on the role CIPE and its partners should play to advance this process as a key driver of economic reform. The full conference agenda is here.