Organizer: PIR Center for Policy Studies in Russia

Goals: Being held two months in advance of the G8 2006 summit, the Conference aims at bringing together governmental officials, leading nongovernmental experts and business representatives for constructive discussions and drafting of concrete recommendations on the issues that will be considered at the summit in St. Petersburg.

The conference participants discussed the most urgent threats to international security, including new challenges to the nonproliferation regime, the threat of megaterrorism, energy security as well as implementation of the G8 Global Partnership and possible G8 influence on security situation in such regions as Central Asia, Broader Middle East, and East Asia. This conference will provide an important platform for an in-depth discussion on national and international responses to new threats and challenges to international security.

Participants: The Conference gathered 222 decision-makers as well as the leading governmental and nongovernmental experts from the G8 states, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Iran, non-G8 countries that joined the G8 Global Partnership program, as well as representatives of Russian and foreign business and organizations, dealing with security issues, including GP practitioners.

The conference was organized around plenaries and break-out panels, with presentations and follow-on discussion. Among the speakers of the Conference were: Deputy Secretary of the Russian National Security Council Nikolay Spassky, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak, British Petroleum Vice-President Nick Butler, Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA Ali Asgar Soltanieh.

Sponsors: The support for the Conference has been provided, among others, by The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the framework of CSIS Strengthening the Global Partnership Project with funds from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, USA; UK Department of Trade and Industry, United Kingdom; Atomic Energy Commisariat, France; Governments of Canada, the Netherlands: Ministries of Foreign Affaires of Finland, Norway; Poland, Sweden; JSC Tekhsnabexport (TENEX), Washington Group International; International Science and Technology Center (ISTC); New Eurasia Foundation and Saferworld, United Kingdom.

Conference was held in coordination with Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation.