The Astana International Forum 2025 (AIF2025), themed “Connecting Minds, Shaping the Future,” will take place in Kazakhstan’s capital on May 29-30. World leaders, business executives, investors, and experts will convene to address pressing global challenges and explore avenues for mutually beneficial agreements.
Who is Expected in Astana?
The AIF2025 aims to serve as a platform for open dialogue and to attract foreign capital. Participants will also seek to forge strategic partnerships and promote economic development initiatives. Approximately 600 international guests are expected, including prominent political figures, heads of international organizations, business leaders, investors, and members of the academic community.
Confirmed attendees include Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda; Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania; Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia, Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, President of the Republic of North Macedonia; and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar. Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General and Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute and the Boao Forum for Asia, will also participate.
Other distinguished guests include Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe; Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM); Mathias Cormann, Secretary General of the OECD; and Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization. Also expected are Antonella Bassani, World Bank Vice President for Europe and Central Asia; Haoliang Xu, UNDP Deputy Secretary-General and Deputy Administrator; Jin Liqun, President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); Jürgen Rigterink, First Vice President of the EBRD; Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States; and Sebastian Kurz, former Federal Chancellor of Austria.
This year, the forum will focus on three global themes: politics and international security, energy and climate change, and economics and finance. According to the Kazakh government, AIF2025 takes place amid intensifying global competition for investment and showcases Kazakhstan’s openness to international collaboration. The country continues to solidify its global presence through comprehensive reforms, legal modernization, and a strengthened investment climate.
On May 28, two bilateral business forums, Kazakhstan-France and Kazakhstan-Italy will precede the main event. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will also attend a Central Asia-Italy summit. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, in recent years Italy has emerged as one of the European countries most keen to maintain close relations with the countries of Central Asia.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is scheduled to open the forum.
Global Anticipation Builds
In the run-up to the event, several participants have already shared their expectations, with Maha Al-Kuwari, General Manager of the Doha Forum, saying that it was a privilege to be involved.
“Together with the Qatar Development Fund, the Doha Forum will host a session focused on innovative approaches to enhancing global sustainability. Given geopolitical fragmentation, post-pandemic recovery, and disrupted supply chains, this discussion is vital, especially for developing and least developed countries,” she stated.
The session will highlight new investment models and successful partnership frameworks spanning from Astana to Doha. Interviews with high-profile attendees are being arranged by major international media outlets. Organizers have announced 39 panel sessions, including 10 exclusive one-on-one interviews with world leaders and dignitaries.
The previous Astana International Forum, held in June 2023, welcomed over 1,000 delegates from 70 countries. It succeeded the Astana Economic Forum, which ran annually from 2008 to 2019. That event featured speakers such as Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Zeljka Cvijanović, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
In his 2023 opening remarks, President Tokayev outlined the forum’s goals:
“First, to conduct an open review of the global situation. Second, to identify the main challenges and crises we face. Third, to find solutions through dialogue and mutual cooperation. Fourth, to revive the culture of multilateral relations. Fifth, to strengthen calls for peace, progress, and solidarity. The forum encourages engagement at a time of heightened geopolitical tension. To be effective, the global system must serve everyone, not just a privileged few,” Tokayev emphasized.
Further information on AIF2025 and participation details can be found here.
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