The Astana Economic Forum - 17–19 May 2018 - hosts decision makers in politics, business, science, sport, economics and the arts to discuss the opportunities and risks facing the world

Astana, the capital city of the Republic of Kazakhstan, will welcome world renowned experts and leaders – including Ban Ki-moon, eighth General Secretary of the United Nations and Chairman of the International Olympic Committee's Ethics Commission, Hans Timmer, Chief Economist for the Europe and Central Asian region of the World Bank, and former French President Francois Hollande - to the 11^th Astana Economic Forum, Eurasia's leading economic conference, on May17-19.

As the Global Challenges Summit 2018, this year's Forum positions Kazakhstan at the heart of the international debate on the opportunities and risks for the future of the planet at a time of remarkable and accelerating change.

The unprecedented technological revolution of recent years created world changing megatrends which are affecting every country, business and human being on the planet. Economic growth and resource resilience, digitalisation and urbanisation, longevity and the financial revolution, global security and cultural shift – will all be discussed at the Summit.

The Summit brings together more than 200 international speakers from over 27 countries to debate the world's most important challenges and discuss solutions to create a safer and more sustainable planet.

Participants include Michio Kaku, physicist, co-founder of the string field theory and populariser of science, Jim O'Neill, former chief economist of Goldman Sachs who is known for coining the BRIC acronym, Parag Khanna, international relations expert and visionary strategist of urban development, Mikheil Janelidze, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Toomas Ilves, ex-president of Estonia, Krzysztof Zanussi, film director and winner of the Golden Lion, the highest prize of the Venice Film Festival, and many others.

The Astana Economic Forum will see the most senior executive officials of the Republic of Kazakhstan and chief executives of state-owned companies and development agencies discussing the country's strategies for adapting to the rapidly changing world and its role in developing the Central Asia region.

The Global Challenges Summit 2018 follows Astana's successful Future Energy Expo 2017 which provided the backdrop for Kazakhstan to announce its large-scale Third Modernisation pushing the country into the top 30 of the world's strongest economies by means of breakthroughs in innovative development, bold institutional reforms, and extensive international integration.

The Astana Economic Forum will be held at the EXPO Congress Centre and Hilton Astana.

Prospective participants are invited to register at the Congress website: forum-astana.org.