Vladimir Putin welcomes participants of the II Open Dialogue at the National Centre RUSSIA

On 28 April, the National Centre RUSSIA hosted the official launch of the II Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth". President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. He noted that in a short space of time, the Open Dialogue has acquired a global scale and become a significant space for professional communication — "without the imposition of viewpoints or the dominance of thoughts that someone has declared in advance to be the only correct ones."

"Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome the participants and guests of the Second International Forum 'Open Dialogue' to the capital of Russia, Moscow. Its geography covers, without exaggeration, the entire planet. Experts, business leaders, and scientists from 120 countries, including Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Australia, North and South America, took part in the essay competition. All the authors and researchers, with their diverse experiences and views, were united by a bold and daring idea: to form a common understanding of the future — the future of a world that has entered an era of profound structural changes," said President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

The Russian leader noted that the ideas born at the Open Dialogue will continue to spread and will ultimately lead to real change.

"The conclusions drawn from your discussions, as was the case last year, will be taken up at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June and incorporated into its business programme. I would like to emphasise once again: the key, central theme of the Open Dialogue is the needs of people in a new, changing world <...> I am confident that the Open Dialogue will help find effective solutions to many such tasks and will serve to ensure sustainable long-term economic growth and improve the quality of life for people all over the world — in a world where mutual trust and a readiness to resolve any conflicts on the basis of compromise will be valued," the Head of State concluded.

This year, the essay competition reached a new level with more than 1,600 entries from 98 countries. As noted by Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential Executive Office and Deputy Chairman of the National Centre RUSSIA Organising Committee, behind every essay is an attempt to answer questions about where the world is heading and what ideas will form the basis for the next stage of global growth. The authors include researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and representatives of the public sector, non-profit organisations, and the media; such diversity makes the discussion comprehensive and as close as possible to the real-world practices of different countries.

On the first day of the Open Dialogue, 27 April, pitching sessions were held where 102 essay authors who reached the in-person stage presented their ideas across four key vectors: "Investments in Human Capital", "Investments in Connectivity", "Investments in Technology", and "Investments in Environment". Each presentation was allotted up to seven minutes. Following a vote in which both the jury members and the essayists themselves participated as equals, the four best works in each category were selected.

On the second day of the Open Dialogue, the central event will be a presentation by Maxim Oreshkin on the global megatrends that will determine the development of the world economy in the near future. Following this, the finalists from the first day will present their concepts during panel discussions, where their ideas will receive expert evaluation and public discussion.

On 29 April, participants will see the conclusion of the II Open Dialogue. Maxim Oreshkin will hold an informal meeting with young people, followed by a final epilogue session where the main conclusions and directions for further work will be formulated.

The Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. A New Platform for Global Growth" is an annual international event initiated by the National Centre RUSSIA in partnership with the Centre for Cross-Industry Expertise "Third Rome" and with the support of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation.