Central Asia: Historical Legacies, Future Challenges

CGD Vice President Dennis de Tray gave a presentation on Central Asia. Before joining CGD, Dennis was World Bank country director for the five central Asian republics, based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Previously he served as IMF senior representative for Vietnam, in Hanoi, and before that as World Bank country director in Indonesia, resident in Jakarta.

This multi-media presentation was originally developed to raise awareness among the World Bank’s Board of Directors on the issues and challenges facing the five Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It begins with an overview of facts and statistics, including legacies left by Central Asia’s association with the former Soviet Union. It goes on to considers some of the constraints and issues Central Asia faces as it attempts to shed these legacies and to develop. The presentation uses a variety of presentational tools including video clips of experts and Central Asians to illustrate issues, debates and concerns.