MANAMA, 13 October 2005 — The Arab Business Council (ABC), an initiative of the World Economic Forum, will hold its annual meeting in Manama, Bahrain on Nov. 9 and 10. The ABC is composed of 80 top Arab business leaders who are committed to the mission of “enhancing competitiveness in the Arab world.” In its third year of existence the Council has become firmly established as an effective representative of the Arab business community.
The ABC meeting will bring together an exclusive group of Arab leaders from government, business and civil society to work together with eminent scholars and experts. Over the two-day meeting, the ABC will formulate and deliver the message of the Arab private sector to the meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of the G-8/BMENA Forum of the Future taking place the following day on the priorities that the region is facing today, namely governance, youth and education and trade. The discussions will be supported by the results of an exclusive, region-wide public opinion survey conducted by Zogby International.
The message of the ABC on governance will include, for the first time in such a public meeting, a set of recommendations on how to approach the nature, role and development of political Islam in the context of democratic institutions. It will also address specific measures that the business community believes can be implemented in the immediate term to realize tangible improvements in transparency and accountability.
In addition, the ABC annual meeting will serve as forum for its members to formulate an agenda of action for the coming 12 months in pursuit of their mission of enhancing competitiveness in the Arab world.