The Astana International Forum traces its roots to a proposal for a series of Eurasian integration initiatives made in a 1994 speech at Moscow State University by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In June 2007, Nazarbayev suggested creating a Eurasian Club of Scientists to help with the economic integration of the Eurasian community and to develop international economic cooperation. The Eurasian Economic Club of Scientists Association was established on June 27, 2008, by Kazakhstan's Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning and the Economic Research Institute. The Forum then branched out to focus on wider global issues, first changing its name to the Global Challenges Summit and then the Astana International Forum in 2023.
