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Economic Forum 2016

MERI Economic Forum 2016

27-28 April, 2016

MERI Economic Forum 2016 is the first of its kind to be held in Iraq or the Kurdistan Region between 27-28 April, 2016 in the city of Erbil.

The Forum is designed to address the country’s economy and the urgent need for its radical restructuring.

This Forum comes at a time when Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are going through a severe financial and economic crisis, hence the wide appreciation by both Governments for moving away from the rentier state model and reshaping the structure of their economies. In this context, local actors are looking at models that have been successful globally and can provide direction locally.

The MERI Economic Forum is designed to engage policy- and decision-makers, academics and other international experts in a debate to promote economic reform in Iraq and Kurdistan Region. Over the course of two days the Economic Forum will look to address the need for both public and private sector reforms. The themes that will be debated include:

  • Iraq and Kurdistan Region: Politics & Economy in Rentier States
  • Geopolitics & prospect of economic recovery
  • Public Administration Reform and Budget Alignment
  • Management of Energy, Subsidies and Revenues
  • Rule of Law and Combating Corruption
  • Private Sector Reform: Boosting SME’s
  • Making Kurdistan Competitive again (Manufacturing and Agriculture)
  • The financial sector – increasing access to credit and building trust