|
|
|
|
About the Forum  Letter from the Chairman
Over the last year, the Forum has continued to pursue its commitment to Egypt’s prosperity by promoting a favorable economic and business environment, while simultaneously contributing to the well-being of Egyptian society at large.
Inspired by its mission, the Forum has continued organizing high-profile events in which leaders from government and private sector dialogued on pressing economic, political and social issues. Our Global Speakers Series addressed international trends in university education, challenges to Egypt’s transportation system, food, health and migration crises, investment opportunities and traps with the background of the current global economic crisis and US-Egyptian relations during the Obama presidency. Speakers included prominent figures such as H.E. Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic; Professor Linda Koch Lorimer, Vice President of Yale University and Robert Parker, Vice Chairman of Credit Suisse and last but not least Minister of Petroleum Sameh Fahmy.
Moreover, and encouraged by the success of the inaugural meeting of the Arab Global Forum (AGF), our most successful international initiative thus far, the Forum is actively engaged in the preparation for two more conferences, the first to take place in Washington D.C. next fall, and the second in Prague next summer. The Prague meeting will be held under the auspices of the Czech President. AGF will continue to act as a platform for generating focused and result-oriented dialogue between business leaders and policy-makers from the Arab world, the United States, Europe and other regions of the world with the objective of improving the environment for economic and business collaboration.
In addition, and while continuing to use events and conferences as a platform for informing public debate, the Forum has also launched a concerted effort with the aim of producing original research on business, economics and politics. The move toward creating analytical reports relevant to the Egyptian and international business community is exciting for the Forum’s future trajectory. It springs from the organization’s belief that informed governmental and business decisions require timely, professional and informative research.
Each month, the Forum releases “Eye on Egypt” a monthly e-newsletter reviewing the international media’s coverage of Egypt. The Forum also launched its “In Brief” and “Occasional Papers” series comprising analytical research of economic and political events and trends, including exclusive interviews with leading government, business and academic figures. Recent In Brief and Occasional Papers have addressed the Basel III Accords, Egypt’s Parliamentary elections, and the outlook for Egypt’s real estate sector. Last, but not the least, the Forum launched its first CEO Economic Outlook Survey, analyzing the views held by CEOs of leading national and multinational corporations operating in Egypt. In its first issue, the Survey examined what CEOs have learned from the financial and economic crisis and what steps they are taking to adapt to the post-crisis economic and business landscape.
None of these achievements would have been possible without the valuable contribution of each and every one of the Forum’s dedicated and loyal members who have contributed money, support and their most valuable asset - their time - to ensure the success of our mission.
Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to welcoming you to the Forum’s events this year.
M. Shafik Gabr
Chairman |
|
|
