By IINA,
Kuwait City : The Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber AlSabah is set to open the Fourth World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) at Bayan Palace later today. Several prominent figures, including Muslim leaders, economists, and financial experts from various parts of the world are attending the three-day event, which will be discussing a host of issues that touch different segments of the Muslim society. The Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee Faisal Al-Hajji, who is also Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, will deliver welcome speech.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, President of Bosnia and Herzegovina Dr. Haris Silajdzic, and WIEF Chairman Tun Musa Hitam are expected to address the session, according to Kuwait Times. The leadership panel will be held under the title “Islamic Countries in a Competitive World,” presided by the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. Participating in this panel are the Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa, the Prime Minister of the Cote d’Ivoire Guillaume Soro, and President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali.
A meeting of chairmen and presidents of Islamic Chambers of Commerce with business leaders was being held today. Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah is set to open the “Investment Opportunities in Kuwait” exhibition. According to the program, a session on “Small and Medium Enterprises” will be moderated by former Egyptian Prime Minister Dr Atef Obaid, and will coincide with a parallel session on “Telecommunications, Transport and Logistics,” moderated by Kuwait’s former Minister of Communication Abdulrahman Al-Ghunaim. Chairman of Managing Director of Kuwait’s KGL Saeed Dashti will moderate the third session today, entitled “Infrastructure and Real Estate Development,” followed by another on “Tourism and Travel” headed by Vice President and Managing Director of Kuwait’s Touristic Enterprises Company Khalid Al-Ghanim.
A plenary session on “The Muslim World as a Burgeoning Market” will be chaired tomorrow by Chairman of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ali Mohammed Thunayan Al-Ghanim, followed by a session on “The Future of Energy in a Changing World” headed by Minister of Electricity and Water and Acting Minister of Oil Mohammad Al-Olaim. A plenary session on “Economic Partnership between the GCC Countries and the Muslim World” will be headed by Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Commerce and Industry Mustafa Al-Shimali, and the final session for the day will be on “The Role of Investment in Poverty Reduction” and will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.
As for the final day of the forum, Thursday, a session on “Education and Development in the Islamic World” will be presided by Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Nouriya Al-Subeeh, followed by a session on “The Private Sector’s Role in Development” headed by Tunisian Finance Minister Mohammed Rasheed Kashesh. The concluding session will include a closing address by the patron of WIEF, Abdullah Ahmed Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Representative of the Indonesian President will also deliver a speech.
A series of parallel sessions preceded the forum yesterday, including the Young Leaders Forum, Businesswomen Forum, Development and Finance in the Islamic World, and the Meeting of Chairpersons and Presidents of Islamic Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The Young Leaders Forum, which tackled issues of youth in the Muslim world from an economic perspective, was presided by Kuwait’s Minister of Justice and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Jamal Al Shihab, with the participation of Chairman of the WIEF Young Leaders Network Dato Nazir Tun Abdul Razak.
Sheikha Hessa Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, Chairperson of the Arab Businesswomen’s Council, headed the WIEF Businesswomen Forum, along with Dr Norraesah Mohamed, Chairperson of the WIEF Businesswomen Network and Executive Chairperson of Embunaz Ventures in Malaysia. As for the session on Development and Finance in the Islamic World, themed “Between Islamic Development Agencies and Kuwait and International Financial Institutions,” it was headed by Chairman of Kuwait Banks Association Abdulmajeed Al-Shatti.