H. M. King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to open the World Economic Forum, taking place at the Dead Sea, Jordan, on 24-26 May 2013- More than 900 participants from over 50 countries will participate, including heads of state and government from 22 countries
Dead Sea, Jordan 22 May 2013 – The World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa opens at the Dead Sea on 24 May. The three-day meeting, convening under the themeAdvancing Conditions for Growth and Resilience, will focus on shaping the region’s economic, social and governance systems of the future.
The meeting will convene over 900 leaders from the Gulf region, the Levant, North Africa and internationally. Representatives of business, government, civil society, youth and media will come together to better understand and discuss the greater region’s challenges like youth unemployment, transparency, income disparity, private sector development and infrastructure.
This year’s programme has been shaped around three core areas: new partnerships for employment, entrepreneurship and infrastructure; strengthening economic governance; and advancing regional cooperation and resilience.
Børge Brende, Managing Director at the World Economic Forum, says: “Building on Jordan’s recognized role in the region, the aim of the 2013 meeting is to drive the dialogue necessary to overcome long-standing fault lines and foster the spirit of cooperation. It is essential that everybody in the greater region realizes the urgent need for collaboration to navigate through these turbulent times.”
The Co-Chairs of the meeting are Mohammed H. Al Mady, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Saudi Arabia; Samer S. Khoury, President Engineering and Construction, Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), Greece; Ibrahim S. Dabdoub, Group Chief Executive Officer, National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait; Jin-Yong Cai, Executive Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC), Washington DC; Martin Senn, Group Chief Executive Officer Zurich Insurance Group, Switzerland; and Mina Al Oraibi, Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Asharq Al-Awsat Newspaper, United Kingdom.
In total, more than 70 public figures, including 30 ministers from 15 countries will join the meeting:H.M. King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority; Abdullah Abdulkarim Hamdan Ensour, Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General, League of Arab States, Cairo;Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Secretary-General, International Energy Forum (IEF), Riyadh; Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (2001-2011); Chérif Rahmani, Minister of Industry, SMEs and Investment Promotion of Algeria; Fayad Abdel-Moneim Hassanein Ibrahim, Minister of Finance of Egypt; Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom; Gennadiy Gatilov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation;John Kerry, US Secretary of State; John McCain, Senator from Arizona (Republican), USA; Min Zhu, Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington DC; Mehmet Simsek, Minister of Finance of Turkey; Mustafa Jassim Al Shamali, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Kuwait; Sayed Ammar Al Hakim, Chairman, The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq; Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Development and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates; Tawfig bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Saudi Arabia; and Tony Blair, Middle East Quartet Representative, United Kingdom.