CELA 1: Istanbul, 22 July - August 2, 2002
CELA 1 Reunion: Istanbul, April 2003
CELA 2: Istanbul, 21 - 30 July, 2003
CELA 1+2 Reunion
The so-called "Mini-Reunion" took place in Georgia, 5-9 May 2004. It brought together 35 members of the first two CELA classes, mainly participants from the Caucasus - 10 Armenians, 10 Azerbaijanis, and 10 Georgians - while each of the five Central Asian countries sent one representative ("CELA Ambassador"). The program was actually spread over three locations: the capital, Tbilisi, Georgia's historical capital Mtskheta, and the region of Kakheti. The reunion's overall goal was to reinvigorate the network, and sustain the strong community of interest among the CELA group, in preparation for its expansion with the introduction of new members at the CELA 3 summer academy. The Mini-Reunion was themed around discussions of new leadership trends in the region, with an emphasis on the circumstances of Georgian CELA members in the wake of President Mikheil Saakashvili's January 2004 election victory. Each of the country delegations and representatives made presentations on the latest political and socio-economic news from their countries, allowing for discussions of comparative developments and the applicability for Central Asia of lessons learned from the Caucasus. The CELA group spent a morning debating policy with the students of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), under the moderation of GIPA Rector Giorgi Margvelashvili, at the invitation of GIPA Dean Maka Ioseliani. The Mini-Reunion also hosted a 3-hour panel of impressive young Georgian leaders including Energy Minister Nika Gilauri and others.
CELA 3
The CELA 3 Leadership Academy took place 19-27 July 2004 in Istanbul at Koç University. For the third year in a row, there was gender balance with the new CELA members - 40 mid-career professionals with an average age of 34.5 - divided equally between women and men. In accordance with the procedure now institutionalized for CELA recruiting, participants were invited on the basis of a competitive application process and were drawn from a wide range of professional sectors. In addition to government, business, civil society, the NGO community, and the media - categories represented at CELA 2 - it was decided to open participation also to promising young people working in the field of academia, as long as they demonstrated a commitment to work outside "the ivory tower" and join their academic work and knowledge to the challenge of actively forging positive change in their societies and communities. The curriculum and all cases studies were translated into Russian and made available for those who felt more comfortable reading in Russian.
CELA Grand Reunion
The CELA Grand Reunion, bringing together members of all three CELA classes to date, took place 13-17 October 2004 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The venue was the Alatau Sanatorium, approximately 15 kilometers outside Almaty. The location within the region was deemed desirable as a demonstration of our commitment to work directly with the CELA fellows themselves on their home ground. Almaty recommended itself for its excellent infrastructure, and its economic success, which served as an encouraging model for the region as a whole. For logistics and planning assistance, an excellent partnership was struck between CELA and Kazakhstan's Eurasia Media Forum/ Khabar News Agency, directed by President Nursultan Nazarbaev's daughter, Dariga Nazarbaeva. The Grand Reunion was structured around the theme of Building Bridges in Central Eurasia, and it included panels on formulating and influencing policy processes, security and economic cooperation in Central Eurasia, transfrontier cooperation, and regional business (facilitated by members of the Society of International Business Fellows). The speaker was Murat Auezov, Director of the National Library of Kazakhstan, former Kazakh ambassador to China, and co-founder of the Asar Social Movement in Kazakhstan.
CELA 4
The fourth annual CELA leadership academy ("CELA 4") took place on 17-26 July 2005. As usual the venue was Koç University in Istanbul. There were 43 participants from the nine countries of the region. For the fourth year in a row, there was gender balance with the new CELA members (22 women, 21 men). All were mid-career professionals between the ages of 28 and 42 drawn from the fields of government, business, civil society and the media. A record number of applications were received for CELA 4 - over 900 applications - testifying to the program's growing reputation and relevance in the region.
CELA Giant Reunion
The Giant Reunion in Bakuriani, Georgia (22-26 February, 2006) was the largest CELA event yet. Some 120 members for all CELA classes, facilitators and guests convened for four days in this Caucasus ski resort to consider the multiple achievements of the CELA program since its inception in 2002, and strategically considered the program's future looking forward till 2010. Guest speaker Professor Zhao Huasheng of Fudan University, Shanghai, addressed the topic of China's current and future perspectives towards the Central Eurasian region, including issues of bilateral cooperation and multilateral approaches such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
CELA 5
The fifth annual CELA leadership academy ("CELA 5") assembled 40 of the most exciting young leaders from the nine target nations at Koç University in Istanbul on 16-25 July 2006. A fresh and updated curriculum incorporating modules with the latest thinking in cross-cultural leadership, negotiation techniques and gender issues. Leadership and cooperation across professional sectors (government, business, NGO/ civil society), as well as leadership networks and regional cooperation, provided new focuses for the workshop itself and the post-academy networking.
Issyk-Kul Meeting
The Kyrgyz CELA team organized a week-long CELA brainstorming meeting at Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan in August-September 2006. The CELA fellows constructed the agenda themselves and handled most logistical questions with some oversight and advice from CELA program staff. Some 20 CELA members from five countries attended. As well as have a good time meeting one another again, they produced a working document with strategic suggestions for strengthening the network, outreach to other constituencies, new possible events under the CELA aegis, refining the summer workshops, and the potential for introducing a governance structure into CELA that would allow members to shoulder more organizational responsibilities themselves.
Yerevan International Business Workshop
This workshop, which took place 18-21 February 2007, was organized and hosted by the CELA Armenia team on behalf of businesspeople and entrepreneurs within the CELA network who identified raising equity capital as a hot topic for their region. Forty-two CELA members from seven countries of the region came together to participate in all or part of the workshop. Speakers from Armenia included the former prime minister, top officials from the Central Bank of Armenia, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and local investment companies. CELA speakers included fellows from Armenia and Uzbekistan. Two SIBF members offered foreign perspectives on equity capital and international business.
Baku Small Reunion
Formally titled "How to Succeed in the International Arena" the seminar took place in Baku, Azerbaijan on 23-26 February 2007, organized and hosted by the CELA Azerbaijan team. Thirty-one CELA members from seven countries of the region came together to participate in all or part of the workshop. A centerpiece of the seminar was a training on cross-cultural leadership styles and dilemmas. Presentations by CELA members focused on the investment opportunities in Azerbaijan and regional business networking. The meeting succeeded in its objectives of identifying connecting issues and opportunities within the region; providing space for critical thinking on the role of CELA in the region; and sharing plans and developing ideas for strategic cooperation among the network.
CELA 6
The sixth summer academy (CELA 6) took place 15-24 July 2007, as usual at Koç University, Istanbul. Forty-five participants - 23 men, 22 women - were selected to attend on the basis of a very competitive application process. The usual broad spectrum of professional sectors was represented - government, business, and NGOs/ civil society, broadly defined - reflecting the fact that all the sectors must participate and cooperate to achieve positive change within their societies. CELA Fellows from past years were encouraged and invited to lead sessions and participate as guest speakers.
Issyk Kul II Reunion
In October 2007, the Kyrgyz Team invited CELA fellows back to Issyk Kul (Issyk Kul II) to take stock of progress made since Issyk Kul I and reflect on new directions for the future. The meeting was themed "Improving Our Network". Each of the CELA country teams was invited to draw up a country plan for the program as a whole, and their own local chapters within it, on ideas from better web and electronic communication to reunion formats and needed support for common activities. The suggestions were compiled into a blueprint for future CELA action.
Bukhara Reunion
The reunion took place in Uzbekistan in November 2007. Conforming to its title "Regional Business and Other Cooperation Projects for CELA", participants considered presentations of concrete, cross-border project ideas to involve the network. These encompassed a CELA regional trade company; camps to educate and promote cultural awareness, hosted in the different CELA countries; and a specially featured segment on development of the hospitality industry.
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