JEDDAH, 15 May 2005 — More than two hundred businesswomen from Syria and abroad will converge at the Omayad Conference Palace Damascus for the Women in Business International Forum, from May 20-22.
The event, which is under the patronage of Asma Al-Assad, the first lady of Syria, will be organized and hosted by Women in Business International (WIB), in conjunction with Al Mawred and the British Syrian Society. Modernizing and Activating Women’s Role in Economic Development (MAWRED) is a Syrian non-profit, nongovernmental organization launched in 2003 to promote work equality, improve socio-economic and professional conditions for women. MAWRED is also interested in contributing to women’s business and cultural development, aiding in their training, and raising awareness of individual responsibilities. This year keynote speakers at the WIB Forum include: Shaikha Mozza Al Misnad of Qatar, Dr Mahathir Mohammed, former prime minister of Malaysia, Prof. Wangari Maathai MP, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Assistant Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Kenya, Cherie Blair and Nasreen Berwari, minister for municipalities of Iraq.
Key topics from various business sectors will be presented by a number of distinguished business personalities. The topics including international regulations, global trade, IT, developing businesses with environmental benefits, developments in healthcare, and developing leading global businesses through marketing and branding.
“The forum features business leaders from the UK, Europe, Middle East and other countries, involved in business sectors such as oil and energy, health, marketing branding and tourism, will open opportunities for our women in terms of accessing international markets for their products. Also, Syrian women will have the opportunity to share with other participants from other parts of the world their successful business models and be able to benchmark their enterprises against those of the world,” stated Al Mawred.
Businesswomen delegates from at least 20 countries are expected to attend the forum including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iran, South Africa, UK, US and Europe. The Damascus Forum will feature a business-to-business exhibition for delegates to promote their products and services.
