Jordan Times
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
WEF returns to Jordan for its Middle East meeting next year
GENEVA (Agencies) — Jordanian and World Economic
Forum (WEF) officials signed this week in Geneva, Switzerland, the memorandum of
understanding (MoU) marking the official start of the preparations for the WEF
on the Middle East, which will take place on May 18-20, 2007.
The MoU was signed by Bassem Awadallah, vice-chairman of the board of trustees,
King Abdullah II Fund for Development and André Schneider, managing director and
chief operating officer of the WEF.
The WEF on the Middle East will once again gather world leaders in business,
politics and society to work on practical steps to promote economic policies for
diversification and job creation, engage in new partnerships, and encourage
dialogue and understanding.
The forum provides a high-level platform for interaction between leaders whose
engagement is essential for progress on the crucial issues.
The working theme, “Harnessing Diversity”, reflects the need to build on the
social and political diversity of the region, and to create an environment in
which new business areas can flourish and grow.
In addition, the meeting will be designed to provide a bridge between the region
and the rest of the world in an era of deep divisions of understanding.
The programme of the meeting will touch upon the following areas:
— Industries of the Future — exploring the
non-traditional business sectors that are opening up new opportunities for
investors and entrepreneurs, including Islamic finance, healthcare, and tour.
— Dialogue — bringing together the various stakeholders in the political
conflicts that continue to destabilise the region, including Israel-Palestine,
Lebanon, Iraq, and the nuclear ambitions of Iran.
— Managing Change —ensuring that economic and political change in the region is
based on sound fundamentals and sustainable strategies. The issues under
consideration will include infrastructure, resource management, education and
competitiveness.
“Harnessing Diversity is not only the central theme of the meeting, it’s also
key to the future of the region. Through the meeting and its outcomes, the forum
intends to be a catalyst for positive change for societies in the Middle East
and to help them in their aspirations for a more stable, vibrant and prosperous
life.
Global leaders from all walks of life and in particular from the Middle East,
will return to the Dead Sea to work together to capitalise on the inherent
diversity of this region. Diversity here has a broader meaning that draws in
business diversifications, political pluralism, social richness in terms of
gender, faiths, ethnicity and age.
Diversity carries the power for indigenous renewal in Middle East,“ said Sherif
El Diwany, director, Middle East & North Africa of the WEF.
“The Middle East is again at a major crossroads. Politically, the challenges in
Palestine, central to the whole region, are being exacerbated by the situation
in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran.
Economically, development requirements now have a greater chance of being funded
through the windfall profits of regional oil producers. Yet the challenges of
interdependence and integration still persist, leaving open the questions
surrounding the future of the overwhelming majority of the region’s inhabitants
and particularly the youth.
“The meeting of the World Economic Forum in Jordan next May will present the
challenges, debate the issues, and will provide a platform for political, civil
and business leaders to offer solutions, ones that we cannot live without,” said
Bassem Awadallah.