Western Financing in the Middle East: A Conference at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina
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Alexandria, 27 January 2005—The Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) is hosting an international conference entitled Western Financing Flows towards the Middle East: the potential impacts on the socio-political and economic fields, 30-31 January 2005. The UT Phoenix Foundation is organizing the conference in collaboration with the Center for Economic and Financial Researches and Studies of the University of Cairo (CEFRS), the Egyptian Investment Authority and BA.
Comprehensive presentations will be provided by known figures from the economic society, writers and companies’ representatives about the diverse but equally important western financial flows directed at the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. There will also be roundtable meetings discussing and assessing the potential impact that such flows are likely to produce.
Among the keynote speakers are Dr. Julia Devlin, Strategic Partnership Advisor MENA Region, The World Bank, giving a brief on the World Bank activities in the region; Mr. Luigi Marcon, Head of the Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership Cairo Office, will discuss the economic partnerships in the region; Mr. Mark Gellerson, Supervisory Economist, US Agency for International Development (USAID), is giving a presentation on the US aid in the MENA region; and Mr. Andres Bassols Soldevila, Barcelona Process Unit, External Relations DG, European Commission, will present the European aid in the region.
The topic of the conference falls precisely within the scope of the “Alexandria Statement”, as set out in the final Statement of the conference on Arab Reform issues: Vision and Implementation held in March 2004, that promotes the roles of civil society in the Arab reform and social and economic development.