The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, during his speech at the opening of the Saudi Summit for Social Entrepreneurship, which was held in Medina - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the patronage and presence of the Governor of Medina Region, His Highness Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, said that "holding this summit in this holy place gives it a special dimension, and emphasizes the great importance that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attaches to promoting societal values and comprehensive development."
"This summit is a vital platform that brings together experts, innovators, and leaders from various sectors to exchange ideas and visions on social entrepreneurship. These initiatives have become an urgent necessity today, to achieve sustainable development and to provide practical and effective solutions to the social and economic challenges facing us. It is a model for how we can work together at the national level, but also at the level of the entire Arab world."
The Secretary-General of the Union, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, said that this event is a golden opportunity to promote integration between social innovation and the Kingdom's Vision 2030, an ambitious vision that aims to build a vibrant society, a prosperous economy and an ambitious homeland, where social entrepreneurship occupies a central position in this qualitative transformation led by the Kingdom, thanks to its wise policies and ambitious strategies in shaping a brighter and more sustainable future, a future based on innovation and true partnership between all sectors.
The Secretary General of the Union touched on the tremendous development witnessed by the Kingdom under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, especially by giving the great role to the youth in the Kingdom, who represent the pulse of change and progress. He noted that "Saudi Arabia has taken significant steps in the framework of supporting and empowering women, which is an indispensable priority to achieve effective participation in the process of sustainable development."
He stressed the need to enact legislation that supports the private sector to play its social role to the fullest, with a focus on promoting entrepreneurship and developing training programs, in a way that contributes to building generations capable of leading the future.
Dr. Khaled Hanafi stressed that we at the Union of Arab Chambers believe in the importance of regional and international cooperation to support these efforts and to develop appropriate policies to provide an incubating environment for social innovation. Today, we see this summit as a golden opportunity to exchange experiences and review global best practices in this field.
The Secretary General of the Union noted that "in addition to the importance of small and medium enterprises, but there is also the importance of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs and innovation, as in light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the technological revolution, the key word is entrepreneurship, especially in the Arab world where more than 60 percent in the Arab world are young people, and therefore supporting entrepreneurship in the Arab world will contribute significantly to enhancing the growth rate in GDP, thus addressing The unemployment crisis, which represents a great burden on the countries of the Arab world."
He stressed that "the Union of Arab Chambers, which is the real representative of the Arab private sector, and includes 16 joint Arab and foreign chambers, is working tirelessly to support and promote the reality of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs in the Arab world, as this sector is vital and important not only for Arab countries but for most countries of the world. In this regard, the Arab Republic of Egypt has paid great attention in recent years to entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, which has reflected positively and significantly on the reality of the Egyptian economy."
He expressed his deep appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its distinguished leadership in supporting social entrepreneurship, and to all the organizers who brought together a group of experts and innovators to unite efforts for a better future. With the wishes that we all achieve the desired goals, the efforts will bear fruit in launching initiatives and projects that meet the aspirations of our Arab societies.
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
