JEDDAH, 10 February 2005 — The 6th Jeddah Economic Forum scheduled at Jeddah Hilton from Feb. 19-21 will have the participation of some of the top economic experts and political leaders, the organizers said yesterday. There will also be special panel sessions on select industries including tourism, resource development and infrastructure building, JCCI Chairman Adel Faqeeh told a press conference.
Issues confronting the Kingdom, the Middle East and the rest of the world will prominently figure in the event under the theme “Capacity building: developing people for sustainable growth.” “The JEF will have a mix of economic and political leaders among key speakers,” JCCI Secretary-General Mohammed A. Al-Shareef said. “Although the forum will concentrate on economic issues, certain aspects that influence the political world could also come up for discussion since security has become an important issue for the whole world, with many countries involved in fighting terrorism. So issues like safety and security could also figure in the speeches of political leaders,” he added.
Keynote speakers include Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, Former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Brazilian Foreign Relations Minister Celso Amorim and Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UK. Others include international business leaders and academics.
The forum will also host a number of local leading political and financial personalities that include Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin and Prince Sultan ibn Salman, secretary-general of the Supreme Commission of Tourism, Faqeeh said.
The JEF, being held with the support of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, is expected to attract 2,000 to 2,500 national and international delegates, including leaders, officials, businessmen and businesswomen, economists and educators.
“The event has attracted some of the most influential men and women of our age from around the world, and has made the city the heart of economic deliberation and debate in the Middle East,” he added.
The forum will also explore techniques to successfully apply the theme concept at the personal, community, institutional, municipal, national and international levels. There will be an added stress on key issues related to entrepreneurship, business growth and job creation in the context of globalization, and political and economic realignments in the region and also across the world.
“It will also highlight the achievements of countries that have pursued strategies for rapid economic development,” JCCI Vice Chairman and Jeddah Marketing Board Chairman Dr. Ghassan Al-Suleiman said.
JEF 2005 Chairman Amr Enany said there would be active participation of the forum’s women’s committee, which is chaired by Dr. Haifa Jamal Allail, dean of Effat College.
The forum’s academic partner is London Business School, one of the world’s leading graduate management schools, for the second year in a row. Speakers from LBS this time include Dean Laura Tyson.
The forum’s main sponsor is General Motors and its diamond sponsors are NAS Aviation, National Commercial Bank and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation. Saudi Research and Marketing Group is the forum’s international media sponsor.
