President Thein Sein of Myanmar to Inaugurate 22nd World Economic Forum on East Asia

Language of Myanmar

• World Economic Forum on East Asia to take place for the first time in Myanmar
• Over 900 participants from 55 countries to convene in Nay Pyi Taw on 5 to 7 June under the theme: Courageous Transformation for Inclusion and Integration
• For more information about the meeting, please visit http://wef.ch/ea13
• Download the Media Mobile/iPad App for the World Economic Forum on East Asia 2013

Yangon, Myanmar – Over 900 participants from 55 countries will take part in the World Economic Forum on East Asia, held for the first time in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. The meeting will welcome over 100 public figures representing 15 countries, including heads of state and government of Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam. More than 550 business leaders, over 60 Global Growth Companies, nearly 300 young leaders from Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers communities, together with other members of civil society, academia and media will convene to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Myanmar and East Asia today.

“As Myanmar continues on a path of bold economic and political reforms, our objective is to ensure that reform will translate into inclusive growth and greater trust,” said Sushant Palakurthi Rao, Senior Director and Head of Asia at the World Economic Forum. “Through frank discussions with our community of leaders we are committed to underlining the importance of key social and economic development challenges such as creating jobs, improving education, ensuring better healthcare and enhancing connectivity”.

The President of Myanmar, U Thein Sein, and other heads of state and government from the region will take part in the gathering: Benigno Simeon Aquino III, President of the Philippines; Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam; Thongsing Thammavong, Prime Minister of Laos.

Speaking this month at Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington, President U Thein Sein said: “The past two years, under my government have been a time of transformation in Myanmar … After decades of authoritarian rule this is no easy task. We must move towards an economy that is equitable, that is fair and based on a level playing field, that develops our abundant natural wealth but in a way that protects our natural environment. To achieve all this we need maximum international support ... Our transformation is not taking place in a vacuum. Asia is changing fast and a part of the world that was once a by-word for war and poverty is now entering perhaps its greatest period ever of peace and prosperity”.

As well as President U Thein Sein, the 22nd World Economic Forum on East Asia will also convene more than 20 members of the Government of Myanmar, including: U Nyan Tun, Vice-President; U Aung Min, Union Minister, Office of the President; U Aye Myint, Union Minister of Industry; U Htay Aung, Union Minister of Hotels and Tourism; U Kan Zaw, Union Minister of National Planning and Economic Development; U Mya Aye, Union Minister of Education; U Soe Thane, Union Minister, Office of the President; U Than Htay, Union Minister of Energy; U Win Myint, Union Minister of Commerce; U Win Shein, Union Minister of Finance and Revenue; and U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Also from Myanmar are: U Shwe Mann, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Myanmar; and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Member of Parliament of Kawhmu Constituent, Myanmar.

The meeting will also bring together key international public figures such as: Keat Chhon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance of Cambodia; Goh Chok Tong, Emeritus Senior Minister and Senior Adviser to the Monetary Authority of Singapore; Stephen P. Groff, Vice-President, Operations 2, Asian Development Bank, Manila; Kittirat Na-Ranong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Office of the Prime Minister of Thailand; Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva; Cesar V. Purisima, Secretary of Finance of the Philippines; Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Textiles of India; Naoyuki Shinohara, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington, DC; and Gita Wirjawan, Minister of Trade of Indonesia.

The Co-Chairs of the World Economic Forum on East Asia are: Helen E. Clark, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York; Anthony F. Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia, Malaysia; Yorihiko Kojima, Chairman of the Board, Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan; Indra Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo, USA; Subramanian Ramadorai, Vice-Chairman, Tata Consultancy Services, India; and John Rice, Vice-Chairman, GE, Hong Kong SAR.

The Forum of Young Global Leaders will hold an Annual Summit in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw from 2 to 7 June 2013 convening nearly 300 young leaders from every region of the world, representing every stakeholder in society. The aim is to give them the chance to understand Myanmar in more depth, to build relationships with local leaders and organizations and to share their impressions on a global stage.

Sky Net is the Host Broadcaster of the World Economic Forum on East Asia 2013.

Notes to Editors
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