Jordan Times
Monday, May 7, 2007
World Economic Forum Returns
to Jordan in May
Amman, May 7(Petra)—The World Economic Forum on the Middle East will convene at
the Dead Sea from 18-20 May where 1000 participants will listen to King Abdullah
II opening address on their role in supporting conflict resolution, economic
cooperation and development.
The Three- days forum will be held under the title” Putting Diversity to Work”
which will spotlight efforts to accelerate economic diversification in a time of
regional prosperity, while emphasizing the urgency of promoting peace and
understanding in a region of great religious and ethnic diversity. Sessions will
include discussions on industries of the future to broaden understanding of new
industries that are playing a role in reshaping the region’s economies; on
stability, peace and international relations, featuring a debate among key
political leaders on the path to peace and security in the Middle East; and on
society and change, addressing the prerequisites for successfully facing
challenges in a time of transformation.
Vice President of the board of trustees of King Abdullah Development Fund Basem
Awadallah told Petra on Monday that King Abdullah has worked hard to bring the
forum to the region because of the opportunities it provides for leaders from
the world of business, politics and civil society. He added that the Dead Sea is
the main headquarters for convening the World Economic Forum on the Middle East
even if some of its meetings were held sometimes in other countries.
Dr.Awadallah said that Jordan succeeded in bringing the forum from Davos to
Jordan for the first time in 2003and in allocating an extraordinary annual
session for the Middle East.
He added that the importance of the forum stems from the fact that it gathers
leaders from the world of business which would be a great opportunity to promote
Jordan’s competitiveness in human resources and investment opportunities. It
would also be an opportunity to market Jordan’s tourism.
Awadallah said that holding the Forum at the Dead Sea would serve as a platform
for Arabs to discuss the issues of the region. He added that for the first time
15 Jordanians will enjoy the opportunity to address the Forum which is something
totally new in international conferences.
Jordan is expected to sign various agreements on the sidelines of the Forum.
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed
to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape
global, regional and industry agendas. It was incorporated as a foundation in
1971, and is based in Geneva, Switzerland and is an impartial Forum and
not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests.