The opening of the fourth edition of the International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Investment, which is being held within the activities of Expo 2020 Dubai, witnessed a massive participation in the presence of 400 official and economic figures from Arab and foreign countries. Led by Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises in the United Arab Emirates, President of the Union of Arab Chambers Abdullah Muhammad Al Mazrouei, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, First Vice President of the World Bank, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badia) Sidi Ould Al Tah, Sheikh Ibrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arab International Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and Dr. Bernardo Calzadella Sarmiento, Director-General of the Directorate of Digitization, Technology and Agribusiness at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The President of the Union of Arab Chambers, Abdullah Muhammad Al Mazrouei, stressed the importance of holding the forum in this distinguished place at Expo 2020. He pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic has separated the world from each other and undermined efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and caused the loss of many gains, especially by affecting poverty, unemployment, inequality, and unequal opportunities in the Arab region. Considering that what is required today is to redouble efforts and speed up work for recovery and compensation. Noting that the Union of Arab Chambers and all the member Arab Chambers are fully convinced that the sustainable development goals before they are a global approach and the United Nations agenda, are a humanitarian message to advance societies and enhance human life.
He considered that recovering from the epidemic requires first and foremost capacity building and increased investment in human capital, and we are proud to show this ambition in the “Arab Rally 2022” competition. The culmination of long efforts undertaken by the Union of Chambers in cooperation with our partners from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport and the Arab Center. Entrepreneurship and Investment for UNIDO - Bahrain.
For his part, the Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, stressed that young people are the makers of the future, and based on this, it is necessary to provide all means to support Arab youth and urge them to creativity and innovation, as efforts are focused today to support entrepreneurs who constitute the influential element in achieving sustainable development.
He said: Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs, and small and medium-sized companies are widely considered a vital factor in national economic systems, especially as they create jobs out of total jobs at a higher rate than those created by other employers.
Hanafi noted that the Union of Arab Chambers is the true representative of the Arab private sector, which contributes 75-80% of the gross domestic product, and contributes to employing between 75-80% of the total workforce in the Arab world.
Hanafi pointed to the existing coordination between the Union of Arab Chambers and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in terms of supporting entrepreneurs in the Arab world. By organizing the first edition of the “Arab Rally” competition in 2019, and then we will witness on the 30th of this March the announcement of the winners of the award, which supports Arab innovators and entrepreneurs.
The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, warned of the deterioration of Arab food security due to the effects of the (Corona) pandemic, water scarcity, and climate change, adding that the war in Ukraine will have repercussions on the Arab region due to the high prices of grains, commodities, and energy materials.
Aboul Gheit referred to the consequences of the health crisis, which placed additional burdens on the Arab countries and caused the loss of many of the gains they achieved before the pandemic, noting in particular the alarming rise in poverty and hunger in the Arab world and the dangers of this on the security and stability of societies.
Aboul Gheit also touched on the latest developments in the efforts of the League of Arab States in the field of sustainable development, referring in particular to the Arab initiative to eradicate hunger and the launch of the Arab Network for Science and Technology for Sustainable Development.
The opening session also included speeches by: Dr. Ahmed bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises in the United Arab Emirates, First Vice President of the World Bank, Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badia) Sidi Ould Al Tah, Sheikh Ibrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arab International Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and Dr. Bernardo Calzadella Sarmiento, Director-General of the Directorate of Digitization, Technology and Agribusiness at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, participated in the symposium organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber in the Brazilian pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020 under the title: The Impact of Arab Migration on Brazil, in the presence of former Brazilian President Michel Temer. He also participated in the event organized by the Austrian Arab Chamber at the Austrian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which aimed at the need to develop Arab-Austrian relations in a manner commensurate with the capabilities available to the Arab and Austrian sides.
