The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) today plays host to 100 global figures and over 1500 delegates, as the three day Global Competitiveness Forum 2009 (GCF 2009) commences in Riyadh today.
GCF 2009, under the patronage of His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, will foster debate and discussion around a central theme of responsible competitiveness.
This event, immediately prior to the World Economic Forum in Davos, occurs following newly sworn in American President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech which called for a new age of responsibility. This is consistent with the goals of GCF 2009.
Last November, the Group of 20 (G20) met in Washington DC to coordinate their response to the Global Financial Crisis. The G20 will meet again in April, so GCF 2009 is preparing an open letter from the global leaders meeting in Riyadh with advice concerning the crisis. The leaders at GCF 2009 include political, business, financial, and thought leaders from around the world.
In the first keynote speech, Carlos Ghosn, President and GEO Nissan Motors, will be addressing GCF 2009 ahead of the first session on responsible competitiveness. This session will cover topics including the role of responsible business in enhancing national competitiveness, and how firms can compete responsibly amid crisis.
Also speaking on the opening day of the Conference will be Thomas Enders, CEO Airbus SAS; HE Mohammad Hassan Omran, Chairman of Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, Etisalat; Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of Nestle SA; and Mary Robinson, 7th President of Ireland, who will be closing the first day’s sessions.
Today’s sessions will also cover the energy evolution, asking questions such as how renewable energy can gain scale and sustainability. The afternoon discussions will debate the food industry, in particular exploring how nations can compete responsibly in world food markets and the outlook for both industrial and organic agriculture. A fourth session will look to the role of the arts in enhancing a nation’s competitiveness and why the arts are important to a thriving society.
In welcoming speakers and delegates to GCF, SAGIA Governor His Excellency Amr Al Dabbagh, commented,
“We are delighted to welcome so many highly regarded speakers to GCF 2009. This is our third GCF, and perhaps most important, given the current economic climate. The discussions and speeches at this year’s event will encourage lively debate as to how the World can address the economic downturn which it is currently facing.”
AbdulMohsen Al Badr, Chief Executive of GCF also said,
“This is an event that allows globally influential figures in politics, business and sport to network and share ideas on how nations can increase their competitiveness. The timing of GCF couldn’t be more crucial, with Davos taking place immediately after this event, we believe that GCF will play a pivotal role in shaping the agenda for surviving the current economic crisis.”
About the Global Competitiveness Forum - www.gcf.org.sa
The Global Competitiveness Forum (GCF) was founded in 2006 by the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA). It is an annual meeting of top business leaders, international political leasers, and selected intellectuals and journalists, to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques HM King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.
The ultimate goal of the GCF is to be a global platform that raises awareness and enthusiasm around competitiveness challenges, and critically evaluates the state of competitiveness theory and practice as they relate to International Trade, Regional Development, FDI, the Environment, Innovation, Human Resources Development, Globalization and the Micro- and Macroeconomic requirements for becoming globally competitive.
From its inception the GCF has fostered dialogue on competitiveness and idea exchange between high prolife leaders. At the first Global Competitiveness Forum the theme addressed was “ICT as an Enabler for Competitiveness” which explored the impact that ICT can have on competitiveness and how to harness it. The second GCF Forum provided a high-profile and global perspective on the highly successful pro-growth competitiveness agendas being pursued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and many other successful industrialized and emerging economies.
The 2009 event will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh (www.fourseasons.com/riyadh)
About SAGIA - www.sagia.gov.sa
SAGIA, the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, was established in 2000 as part of the new foreign investment law in Saudi Arabia. Its purpose is to attract investment to Saudi Arabia and more recently its mandate has evolved to encompass the enhancement of the Kingdom’s overall competitiveness. SAGIA plans to attract sufficient investment to achieve rapid and sustainable economic growth in Saudi Arabia, capitalizing on the Kingdom’s competitive strengths as the global capital of energy and as a major hub between East and West. It aims to position Saudi Arabia among the top ten most competitive nations by 2010 through the creation of a pro-business environment, a knowledge-based society, and by developing new, world-class ‘Economic Cities’. In September 2008, the World Bank recognized the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the 16th business-friendly country in the world in its annual “Ease of Doing Business” report. Recent reforms in Saudi Arabia improved the Kingdom’s position from to 16th in 2008 from 67th in 2004.
To help boost competitiveness, SAGIA established the National Competitiveness Center (NCC) in 2006 to act as an independent body to monitor, assess and support the development of competitiveness in Saudi Arabia. The NCC serves as a think tank for change by conducting and developing competitive assessments and monitoring the implementation and results of change programs.
