For the 18th consecutive year, The Arab Economic Forum will be held on the 20th and 21nd of May 2010 in Beirut, under the patronage of the President of the Council of Ministers of Lebanon H.E. Saad Hariri, with top government officials from the Arab world leading wide attendance by business, finance and investment leaders in the region, regional and international organizations, experts, media representative and journalists, and other interested parties.
This year’s forum convenes amidst indicators that the international economy is starting to recover from the worst global financial and economic crisis since the Great Depression, as reflected in the upturn in oil prices and the slow, albeit jittery improvement in financial markets. Nevertheless, there is a near consensus among analysts and economists today that full recovery from the crisis and a return to solid growth will require a few more years at least, especially that the tasks at hand require no less than a restructuring of the international economic order and financial system.
The Arab world was not immune to the adverse effects of the crisis and is not isolated as well from the changes underway in the global economy, which thus need to be closely monitored and adapted to. Keeping in mind that the crisis has served to highlight basic weaknesses in the development models and strategies that were adopted by many Arab countries in the past decade, but also some inherent strengths in the Arab economy that should be fully exploited.
These ongoing developments in both the Arab and international economies will provide an appropriate framework for this year’s Arab Economic Forum, which will focus on the Arab world’s position in the changing international economy, as well as priorities for future economic and social development policy in the region.
Among the main issues and topics to be covered are;
- The global economy in the post crisis era.
- Future of the Middle East: Regional cooperation or conflict?
- Towards a free trade zone between Turkey and the Arab World.
- Outlook for Arab-European-Middle Eastern relations.
- Prospects of economic cooperation and partnership with the rising economies of Asia.
- Financing challenges in light of the retrenchment in credit and foreign investment.
- Regional economic restructuring and lessons learned from the crisis.
- Post crisis investment strategies: New opportunities and risks.
- Lebanon case study : How did the Lebanese economy survive the crisis with minimum losses, and what are the strengths behind its immunity and attractiveness.
The Arab Economic Forum is organized by Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group, in cooperation with the Central Bank of Lebanon and the Association of Banks in Lebanon.
