During his visit to the Italian city of Matera, Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, headed a delegation from the General Secretariat of the Union, with the participation of Dr. Hashem Hussein, Head of the Investment and Technology Promotion Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Dr. Ahmed Nasr, General Manager of Antika World, Hoda Kashtan, Director of Arab, Foreign and Joint Chambers in the Union of Arab Chambers, and Dr. Sarah Al-Jazzar, Economic Advisor in the Union, a series of visits and meetings aimed at strengthening economic, trade, investment and heritage relations between Italy and the Arab world.
During the meetings, the Secretary-General of the Union stressed, “There are promising opportunities to enhance cultural and heritage communication between the Arab world and Italy, especially since there are common denominators and a common cultural heritage. Hence, the Union of Arab Chambers and the League of Arab States launched the "Litaearafuu" initiative, which aims to enhance communication between the Arab world and the countries of the world. Which we started today in Italy and we aspire to complete with the rest of the countries, which contributes to enhancing cooperation in the field of tourism, heritage, and entertainment, as the economies of most countries in the world are nourished by the vital tourism sector, which contributes significantly to the growth of the gross domestic product.”
The delegation of the General Secretariat of the Union, headed by His Excellency Dr. Khaled Hanafi, responded to the invitation of the TURSI Municipality. The delegation visited the municipality building and held a press conference in the presence of the mayor, members of the municipal council, and a number of Italian businessmen. During the press conference, the focus was on the available and promising opportunities that aim to open the doors of trade, investment, and heritage cooperation with the Arab world.
The Secretary-General of the Union, in the presence of Dr. Hashem Hussein, Head of the Investment and Technology Promotion Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Dr. Ahmed Nasr, General Manager of Antika World, visited the CONFAPI MATERA Foundation, which is concerned with supporting small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship, in the presence of a group of entrepreneurs. During the meeting, a number of pioneering projects implemented by the Foundation were reviewed.
During the visit, Dr. Khaled Hanafi stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the Federation of Arab Chambers and CONFAPI MATERA, a pioneer in the field of entrepreneurship. Considering that entrepreneurs are the future and that they are the ones who drive the wheel of development, he pointed out that the ability of entrepreneurs to withstand was evident during the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, and they proved that they have the strength and energy necessary to continue, despite the disruption that occurred in supply chains.
He pointed out that “the partnerships currently underway with the League of Arab States, the Investment and Technology Promotion Office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, and a number of partners in the private sector, it enabled the provision of care for entrepreneurs. “From this standpoint, we are interested in enhancing coordination with the CONFAPI MATERA Foundation in order to transfer its expertise in the field of entrepreneurship to Arab entrepreneurs, and thus provide an opportunity for communication between entrepreneurs and various institutions, whether academic, service, or financial.”
Within the activities of the "Rabatana" Festival, a city located in southern Italy that still bears witness to the Arab and Islamic presence in Italy, where Muslims were able to establish a civilization and leave a legacy that still bears witness to their presence to this day, His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, and the designer Ammar Al-Basheer from the Kingdom of Bahrain were honored. It is noteworthy that the festival is organized in the context of celebrating the Arab cultural heritage in the Arab and Islamic cities that were established in the past in southern Italy, which aims to enhance the commercial, heritage, and civilizational reality between the Arab countries and Italy.
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
