Jordan Times
Monday, January 24, 2005
JIB, UNIDO cooperate to hold
international conference
AMMAN (Petra) — Studies have been prepared by the Jordan Investment Board (JIB),
in cooperation with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO),
to hold an international investment conference at the end of 2005, JIB's Chief
Executive Officer Reem Badran said on Sunday.
The conference will provide a chance for Jordanian industrialists and
businessmen to meet and discuss with their counterparts from across the world
the various investment and cooperation opportunities, Badran indicated.
Badran commended UNIDO for the great support it provided to the Jordanian
economy during the past four years through the technical and financial backing
of projects and through helping the Kingdom penetrate international markets and
secure more investments in different fields.
According to Monica Carc, director of the UNIDO's office in Jordan, the UN
organisation's strategy for this year will focus on supporting the JIB through
drawing up programmes to help attract investors to the Kingdom.
The strategy also includes working with local partners and forming working teams
to analyse the sectors that should be tackled and to bolster export
opportunities for Jordanian products, Carc? said.
Moreover, the UNIDO official mentioned organising meetings between local and
foreign investors as well as exchanging information and explaining aspects of
cooperation.
To show and explain the available opportunities, she spoke about specifying
promotion tools whether through delegations, work teams, Jordanian embassies or
through the Internet and specialised brochures.
Carc praised the country's economic openness and its potential to enter various
markets, in light of the trade agreements signed with different countries in
addition to the Kingdom's stability and security.
Badran reviewed with the UNIDO delegation means for attracting more foreign
investments into the Kingdom.
Talks also addressed ways to increase the Kingdom's exports, mainly those of
small and medium-scale projects.
With the support from the Italian government, UNIDO's empowerment of the
country's industries between 2000-2004 was mainly in the form of technical
assistance and training of human resources at micro and medium-scale projects.
Assistance targeted olive oil, marble and pharmaceuticals' projects among
others.
The UNIDO also provided soft loans for micro- and medium-scale projects.