The 16th Eurasian Media Forum held in Almaty, Kazakhstan Photo: Li Qingqing/GT

The opening ceremony of the 16th Eurasian Media Forum was held on Thursday in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan. The three-day forum, which is taking place on May 22-24, has attracted more than 600 government officials, scholars and journalists from more than 50 countries to share their opinions on acute global issues.

Kazakhstan's Minister of Social Development Darkhan Kaletayev, spoke on behalf of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, welcoming all delegates to the forum during a welcoming speech at the opening ceremony. The Eurasian Media Forum, launched in 2002, is an international discussion platform that sheds a spotlight on important global issues. The annual forum brings global opinion leaders together to discuss the global economy, politics, environment, culture, and media.

The theme of the 16th Eurasian Media Forum is "The World Today: Transforming Reality?" The mayor of Almaty city, Bauyrzhan Baibek, said at the opening ceremony that "In today's world, we see transforms in many things." The theme echoes global current condition: There are increasing uncertainties in our world such as the China-US trade war, Brexit, terrorism, deglobalization and the development of artificial intelligence (AI). 

In this context, the forum will cover a wide range of sessions and discussions including regional integration in Central Asia, new development models, consumption crisis, the age of AI, global power balance and the marijuana issue. In addition to sessions and panels, there are a series of master classes from world media experts. Master classes include training for journalists on environmental journalism, film producing, creating inclusive realities, freelance journalism, news visualization, mobile journalism and generational peculiarities of audiences in TV and digital media. These thought-provoking classes are good opportunities for journalists worldwide to share their opinions and experiences.

The Eurasian Media Forum also provides a chance for Kazakhstan to communicate with the world, and a platform for countries to better understand each other. "We are interested to hear the opinions of people from different parts of the world on acute global issues," said Dariga Nazarbayeva, chairperson of the Eurasian Media Forum Organizing Committee, at the beginning of the 16th forum's conference guide. 

"We hope to bring together irreconcilable positions in an open dialogue, to promote mutual understanding and tolerance, to help unite efforts to solve common problems," Nazarbayeva said.