JEDDAH, 6 November 2006 — Under the aegis of Princess Sita bint Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz, president of the High Committee for International Cooperation of the Arab Women Investors Union, an introductory meeting of the union was held yesterday with the attendance of around 100 Arab businesswomen seeking better ways of cooperation and communication for joint investment projects.
The union is composed of prominent women of qualification and experience with the aim of encouraging investment, developing economic relations between Arab countries and enriching Arab women’s economic role regionally and internationally.
The meeting was held yesterday here as part of the union’s activities in preparation for the 4th Arab International Forum and Exhibition in Cairo on Dec. 3-5, 2006, under the theme “Arab Joint Investment and International Cooperation.” The forum is held under the auspices of Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak and organized by the AWIU in cooperation with the Arab Economic Union Council and the Arab Work Organization. The opening session will be held at the Arab League headquarters.
In her opening statement, Princess Sita said that in order to achieve the dream of a joint Arab market we need to “collaborate our efforts to achieve economic development in reality through real cooperation between the public sector, the civil society and the private sector.”
The forum is expected to feature prominent businessmen and women and investors from the Arab world as well as discussion groups, workshops and an exhibition of Arab products of high quality, bilateral meetings and feasibility studies of several promising investment opportunities.
The union’s president, Hoda Galal Yassa, then spoke about the union, which was established in May 2005 and headquartered in Egypt, its objectives and activities. The union has 16 committees covering various fields.
“Its main objective is attracting capital by creating investment opportunities and supporting women’s participation,” she said. Some of the projects that the union is already starting include an investment company, a hotel, a plastic surgery hospital and a tourism village all with attention to environmental concerns and cultural aspects.
“One of the projects that is of special interest to me is clay products and we are working on having a factory in every city,” added Princess Sita.
The investment company aims at increasing inter-Arab trade and marketing Arab products among the 16 member countries in the union. The union also has program under the theme “together for tomorrow” focusing on social responsibility and it is starting by establishing a center to train trainers to work with people with special needs, young and old, in the Arab world.
