2004 Jeddah Economic Forum firmly established as a world class event

The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry to announce activities of the 2004 Jeddah Economic Forum scheduled to take place at the Jeddah Hilton from January 17-19, 2004. The annual Forum which was first organized in 1999 has become the region's strategic think tank focusing on local, regional, and international economic and social issues.

"The Jeddah Economic Forum has set the benchmark for business gatherings across the Middle East and has been refined and augmented over the last four years," said Dabbagh. "This year the Forum will be of unprecedented scale and will address many of the burning economic issues we face in these momentous times. The overall forum theme is 'Achieving Accelerated Growth' a critical requirement in our increasingly integrated and interdependent world. The sessions over three days will address key issues relating to entrepreneurship, business growth and job creation in the context of globalisation and political and economic realignments in our region and across the world. It will also highlight the achievements of countries that have pursued strategies for rapid economic development."

Adel Fakieh, Chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who co hosted the press conference with Amr Dabbagh, praised the groundbreaking work of the Jeddah Marketing Board in creating and developing the Jeddah Economic Forum over the last five years. "This event has attracted some of the most influential men and women of our age from around the world," he said, "and has made Jeddah the heart of economic deliberation and debate in the Middle East. The 5th Jeddah Economic Forum promises to surpass all previous years."

The 2004 Jeddah Economic Forum will once again be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Majeed Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of the Makkah Region and will be attended by hundreds of the region's leading businessmen and women, regional and international political leaders, government officials, economists and educators.

The 5th Annual Jeddah Economic Forum will be held over a three day period, the first day focuses on key economic and social issues facing Saudi Arabia, the second day highlights the regional agenda by showcasing experiences of economies such as Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Turkey that have pursued aggressive strategies for economic development, the third and final day focuses on the global agenda where examination of the theme of accelerated growth through the lens of globalisation and international economic integration, successful models from the United States and Sweden will be highlighted.

Keynote speakers at the 2004 Forum will include the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recently retired Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohammed, who has been credited with building Malaysia into a major Southeast Asian economic power, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and WTO Director General Supahai Panitchpakdi. All four keynote speakers will address the overall theme of 'Achieving Accelerated Growth'. Mahathir will speak on 'A Recipe from Malaysia for Growth: Vision 2020.' Nursultan Nazarbayev will speak on his own experiences guiding his country from communism to free-market capitalism in a speech entitled 'The Challenges of Growth for a Young Nation'. The WTO Director General will explore the macro-economic implications of globalization in a speech on 'The Future of the WTO and Its Role in Global Economic Growth'. In the coming weeks the Jeddah Marketing Board will announce more high-level international participants in the 2004 Forum.

This year's Jeddah Economic Forum will host three Finance Ministers: HE the Pakistani Minister of Finance, Mr. Shaukat Aziz; HE the Lebanese Minister of Finance, Mr. Fuad Saniora; and HE Swedish Minister for International Economic Affairs & Financial Markets Mr. Gunnar Lund. In addition, two globally distinguished economists will take part: Dr. Norbert Walter, Chief Economist, Deutsche Bank Group and Mr. Clark Winter, Global Chief Investment Strategist, Citigroup.

CEO's from three global oil companies: Dr. Ray Irani, Chairman & CEO, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Peter Robertson, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chevron Texaco Corporation, and Walter van der Vijver, Group M.D., Royal Dutch / Shell Group of Companies. They will form an interactive panel discussing 'Oil and Global Economic Stability'.

Distinguished participants at previous Jeddah Economic Forums have included former U.S. Presidents George Bush and William Jefferson Clinton, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, former French President Valery Giscard D'Estaing, former British Prime Minister John Major, the Crown Prince of Bahrain HH Sheikh Salman bin Hamad, Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Al-Ragheb, former Russian Prime Minister and President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Mr.Yevgeny Primakov, high profile Saudi businessman HRH Waleed Bin Talal, and Tijari.Com CEO Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, among many others.

The chosen academic partner for the 2004 Jeddah Economic Forum is the London Business School (LBS), one of the world's leading graduate management schools. LBS Dean Laura Tyson, Professor Micheal Hay and Dean of Harvard Business School, Professor John Quelch.

Amr Dabbagh concluded: "We are delighted that this year's forum is actively supported by the Jeddah Businesswomen's Committee chaired by HRH Princess Adelah bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz which has contributed extensively in developing the program and the event logistics."