The fourth Economic Forum of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held on March 5, 2020, in the hotel Holiday Inn, with more than 600 participants. The keynote speaker was Dr Jeffrey Sachs, a special advisor to Secretary-General of the United Nations for sustainable development aims and a professor of the Columbia University.
The program of Economic Forum of B&H 2020 was organized in two sessions:
1. SDGs AND WESTERN BALKANS 2020 – NEW NARRATIVE
2. WESTERN BALKANS 4.0: GROWING DIGITAL TOGETHER (IMPACT ON THE BANKING SECTOR)
The speakers in the first session were the representatives of the Western Balkans 2020 Initiative, and their discussion treated the issues of goals of sustainable development in the context of the countries in the Western Balkans. The following speakers spoke about the state in the countries in the region and what these countries could do together to enhance the economic and business atmosphere: Jadranka Kosor, Prime Minister of Croatia (2009-2011); Filip Vujanović, President and Prime Minister in Montenegro (2013-2018); Mirko Cvetković, Prime Minister od Serbia (2008-2012); Fadil Novalić, current Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Moderator of the first session is prof. dr. Zlatko Lagumdžija.
In the second session, representatives of banks and the IT sector in B&H and Croatia spoke about the significance of digital development and the future of digitalisation in the area of the Western Balkans, with a review of the banking sector: Jasmin Mahmuzić, Director of the Banking Agency of the Federation of B&H; Boško Mekinjić from the Management Board of the Bank Association of B&H; Martina Drvar, Vice-Governor of Croatian National Bank; Mersed Čamdžić, Director at the company Mistral; and Amina Karić, Operations Vice-President of the company Authority Partners. The Moderator of the second session was Mr. Branimir Muidža.
Economic Forum of B&H 2020 was opened by prof. dr. Jasmina Selimović, Dean of School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo; Zoran Tegeltija, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of B&H and Johan Sattler, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to B&H and a special representative of the EU in B&H.
Apart from having Dr Jeffrey Sachs as a guest in this year’s Forum, special attention was also paid to the creation of preconditions for the development of a regional network for the promotion of goals of sustainable development (Sustainable Development Goals network – SDGN) as a part of the global network (Sustainable Development Solutions Network – SDSN).
Economic Forum of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents a platform for an encounter and a dialogue between the executive branch and business and academic communities, the aim of which is to create an attractive business environment. The expected results of the dialogue are the proposals and guidelines that will be at the disposal to the business community, the academia and the creators of economic policies.
Partners and friends of Economic Forum of B&H 2020 were: Nizami Ganjavi International Center, Foundation “Društva zajedničkih vrijednosti” Sarajevo, Podgorica Club, Raiffeisen Bank B&H, Council of Foreign Investors, Širbegović Inženjering, Mistral, Kakanj cement – Heidelberg Cement Group, Centar Sarajevo Municipality, Hifa Oil Tešanj, Al Hana Pharmacies, App Impact, Perfeta, Europlakat.
Media coverage: Al Jazeera Balkans, Televizija Sarajevo, Radio Stari Grad, Antena Radio, Business Magazine, Oslobođenje, klix.ba portal and radiosarajevo.ba portal.