1,000 officials to convene at Dead Sea in April for WEF

AMMAN — Jordan is hosting the 2019 World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East and North Africa, which will be held at the Dead Sea on April 6-7.

The meeting of the international organisation for public-private cooperation, held in partnership with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development (KAFD), will be the 10th meeting to be hosted by the Kingdom and the 17th in the region, according to the WEF’s website.

More than 1,000 government, business and civil society leaders from over 50 countries will convene to discuss the impact of new technologies on the Arab world.

Under the theme “Charting New Systems of Cooperation”, the forum will also address strengthening entrepreneurship, peace and reconciliation efforts across the region, and the effects of climate change and other environmental challenges, the organisation announced on its website.

The meeting’s discussions would build on the forum’s annual meeting in January in Davos and its theme of “Globalisation 4.0”.

“There is clear recognition in the region that the economic models that have delivered in the past need to be reformed to ensure competitiveness in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and to meet the expectations of the region’s youth in terms of tackling environmental degradation, persistent conflict and corruption,” Mirek Dusek, deputy head of the Centre for Geopolitical and Regional Affairs at the WEF, was quoted as saying on the website. 

“The meeting in Jordan provides a timely platform for joint action and will feature a number of special initiatives, including 100 top start-ups from the Arab world,” Dusek added.

With the full support and presence of Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania, the meeting will convene leaders from Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Levant and north Africa and key international stakeholders from east Africa, Europe and the United States.

For media accreditation, the WEF called on interested journalists to complete requests at www.weforummedia.org before March 17. 

Accreditation is subject to final approval by the WEF.