JEDDAH, 18 December 2003 — The fifth annual Jeddah Economic Forum (JEF) will be held at the Jeddah Hilton from Jan. 17-19.
Some 60 speakers are scheduled to address the group and over 1,000 official delegates are expected to attend, Amr A. Dabbagh, chairman of the Jeddah Marketing Board (JMB), told a press conference at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry yesterday.
“The JEF has set standards for business gatherings across the Middle East,” said Dabbagh. “This year the forum will be on an unprecedented scale and will address many of the burning economic issues we face now. The overall forum theme is ‘Achieving Accelerated Growth’ which is a critical requirement in our increasingly integrated and interdependent world.
“The sessions will address key issues relating to entrepreneurship, business growth and job creation in the context of globalization and political and economic realignments in our region and across the world. The forum will also highlight the achievements of countries that have pursued strategies for rapid economic development.”
The forum will be attended by hundreds of the region’s businessmen and businesswomen, regional and international political leaders, government officials, economists and educators.
The first day will be devoted to key economic and social issues facing Saudi Arabia; the second will discuss the regional agenda by showcasing the experiences of such economies as Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Turkey that have pursued aggressive strategies for economic development. The third day will focus on a global agenda with examination of accelerated growth through the lens of globalization and international economic integration.
Keynote speakers will include Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, who has been credited with transforming his country into a major Southeast Asian economic power, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and World Trade Organization Director General Dr. Supachai Panichpakdi.
During the weeks before the forum, the JMB will announce more international participants. “We are delighted that the forum is actively supported by the Jeddah Businesswomen’s Committee chaired by Princess Adelah bint Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz. The committee has made extensive contributions to developing the program and the logistics of the event,” said Dabbagh.
