WEDF 2015 – Programme

SUSTAINABLE TRADE: INNOVATE, INVEST, INTERNATIONALIZE

19-21 October 2015
Doha, Qatar

Download programme in PDF: English
Monday, 19 October

14:00-18:00

Registration

Entrance hall

Photo gallery

18:00-20:00

Welcome reception

Entrance hall

Photo gallery
Tuesday, 20 October

08:30-09:30

B2B meetings

Salwa III
Individual matchmaking meetings between pre-registered buyers and sellers in: food and specialty foods; plastics and packaging and tourism.

Photo gallery

08:30-10:00

Registration

Entrance hall

Photo gallery

10:00-10:30

Opening session

Speakers:

Ms. Arancha González, Executive Director, International Trade Centre - Read statement

Mr. Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister & Minister of Interior, State of Qatar - Read statement

Mr. Ahmed Bin Jassim Al Thani, Minister of Economy & Commerce, State of Qatar - Read statement (In Arabic)

Master of Ceremony:

Mr. Mohammed Mubarak Al-Mansouri, Senior Relationship Manager, Qatar Development Bank (QDB)

Photo gallery Press release Video

10:30-11:00

Official photo

Al Dafna II

Photo gallery

11:00-12:30

Unlocking the potential of the post-2015 development agenda

The United Nations’ post-2015 sustainable development goals will be announced one month before WEDF. What is the role of trade in achieving these goals? How can the goals be operationalized? A thriving SME sector will be essential for unlocking the potential of the post-2015 development agenda.

Speakers:

Ms. Gina Casar, Under-Secretary-General, Associate Administrator, United Nations Development Programme

Mr. Naushad Forbes, President Designate of CII, Director of Forbes Marshall, Forbes Marshall Pvt Ltd

Mr. Ratnakar Adhikari, Executive Director, Enhanced Integrated Framework

Mr. Abdulaziz Nasser Al Khalifa, Qatar Development Bank

Ms. Valentine Rugwabiza, Minister for East African Community Affairs, Ministry of East African Community Affairs

Moderator:

Ms. Eliza Anyangwe, Writer and Commissioning Editor, The Guardian

Photo gallery Session summary Video

12:30-14:00

Lunch keynote - Regional integration to promote a more sustainable and equitable growth agenda

Speaker:

Ms. Valentine Rugwabiza, Minister for East African Community Affairs, Ministry of East African Community Affairs - Read statement

Photo gallery Speech

14:00-15:00

B2B meetings

Salwa III
Individual matchmaking meetings between pre-registered buyers and sellers in: food and specialty foods; plastics and packaging and tourism.

Photo gallery

14:00-15:00

Press conference

Al Dafna II

Photo gallery Video

15:00-16:30

SME competitiveness: Why it matters

This plenary marks the launch of the new ITC flagship publication SME Competitiveness Outlook. It will explore how SME competitiveness contributes to growth, how the strengthening of SMEs contributes to spreading wealth within countries, and how SMEs can become strategic partners in driving a sustainable development agenda.

Speakers:

Mr. Stefano Arganese, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Freight for Central Eastern Southern Europe (CESE) and Americas, Middle East and Africa (AMEA)

Mr. Axel M. Addy, Minister, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Liberia

Mr. Dato Dzulkifli Mahmud, Chief Executive Officer, MATRADE

Ms. Anabel Gonzalez, Senior Director, World Bank Group

Mr. Tunc Uyanik, Chief Executive Officer, World SME Forum

Mr. Galma Boru, Ambassador, Embassy of Kenya to the State of Qatar

Moderator:

Ms. Jennifer Freedman, Journalist, MLex Market Insight

Photo gallery Session summary Video

16:30-18:00

Innovation and entrepreneurship: Trends that shape the trade landscape

Technological innovations and an interconnected world have reshaped the entrepreneurial landscape. What opportunities and challenges arise from new and disruptive businessmodels, driven by technology, heightened awareness of sustainability and individual empowerment?

Speakers:

Mr. Terence Tse, Associate professor, ESCP Europe Business School

Mr. Usman Ahmed, Head of Global Public Policy, PayPal Inc

Ms. Catherine Njau, Project Manager, GreenBell Communications Limited

Mr. El Amine Serhani Al Idrissi, President, National Federation of E-commerce in Morocco

Moderator:

Ms. Eliza Anyangwe, Writer and Commissioning Editor, The Guardian

Photo gallery Session summary Video

16:30-18:00

Innovative funding to internationalize SMEs

Access to finance is a major obstacle to growth for SMEs in developing countries. This session highlights innovative initiatives to enhance access to finance for SMEs.

Speakers:

Mr. Rick Pudner, Chairman, Beehive Group DMCC

Mr. Andreas Klasen, Professor of International Business, Offenburg University

Mr. Marcel Vernooij, Senior Officer, Sustainable Economic Development Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for The Netherlands

Mr. Paul Maguire, Acting Group Chief Business Officer, Al Khaliji Commercial Bank

Ms. Yasam Talu, Senior Investment Officer, IFC’s Financial Institutions Group

Moderator:

Mr. Lanre Akinola, Editor, Africa Business

Photo gallery Session summary Video

18:00-19:00

B2B meetings

Salwa III
Individual matchmaking meetings between pre-registered buyers and sellers in: food and specialty foods; plastics and packaging and tourism.

Photo gallery

19:30-22:00

Gala dinner

Sheraton Hotel garden

Photo gallery
Wednesday, 21 October

08:30-09:30

B2B meetings

Salwa III
Individual matchmaking meetings between pre-registered buyers and sellers in: food and specialty foods; plastics and packaging and tourism.

Photo gallery

09:30-11:00

Driving diversification through trade and investment

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a key driver of economic growth, international trade and sustainable development. This session will explore the role of FDI in enabling developing-country businesses to integrate into value chains through access to new international markets, supply and distribution networks and upgraded technology.

Speakers:

Mr. Denis Karera, Chairman, East Africa Business Council

Mr. Yousuf Al-Jaidah, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, Qatar Financial Centre Authority

Mr. Hossain Khaled, President, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Mr. Ibrahim Ibrahim, Economic Advisor, Cabinet of H.H. the Emir of the State of Qatar

Moderator:

Ms. Jennifer Freedman, Journalist, MLex Market Insight

Photo gallery Session summary Video

11:00-12:30

Regional integration: From rhetoric to action

Intra-Arab trade is currently at 5% (excluding oil products). This session explores how regional integration can move from theory to practice, using information on trade obstacles available through ITC surveys of businesses in the region, carried out under the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States.

Speakers:

Ms. Nagla Bahr, Managing Director, Credit Guarantee Company

Dr. Mohamed Al-Nsour, Director Arab Economic Integration Department, League of Arab States

Mr. Denis Karera, Chairman, East Africa Business Council

Mr. Hilal M Almukhaini, Gulf Cooperation Council

Moderator:

Mr. Lanre Akinola, Editor, Africa Business

Photo gallery Session summary Video

11:00-12:30

Trade in services: Tapping the potential of tourism

This session will explore business models and development implications for a number of growing segments in tourism such as educational tourism, business tourism, heritage andculture, medical tourism and film tourism.

Speakers:

Mr. Alioune Sarr, Minister, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Informal Sector of Senegal

Mr. Hugh Dunleavy, Chief Commercial Officer, Qatar Airways Group

Mr. Jean-Claude Bessudo, President, Aviatur Group

Ms. Mari Pangestu, Professor, University of Indonesia

Mr. Jacques Ulrich Andriantiana, Minister, Ministry of Tourism, Transport and Meteorology of Madagascar

Moderator:

Ms. Eliza Anyangwe, Writer and Commissioning Editor, The Guardian

Photo gallery Session summary Video

12:30-14:00

Lunch - Spotlight on Qatar tourism

Speaker:

Mr. Hassan Abdulraham Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism development Officer, Qatar Tourism Authority - Read statement

Photo gallery Speech

15:00-16:30

Halal standards: Challenges and Opportunities

This session will explore standards and product certification to access new markets, with a focus on the halal market.

Speakers:

Mr. Rushdi Siddiqui, Chief executive officer, Zilzar

Mr. Tony Zohrab, Chief Market Access Officer, New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)

Mr. David Evans, CEO, HalalFocus.com

Mr. Ihsan Ovüt, Secretary General, Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC)

Mr. Zouhair Triqui, Secretary-General, Maroc Export

Ms. Fe Jazzareen, CEO, PERSIS Management

Moderator:

Mr. Lanre Akinola, Editor, Africa Business

Photo gallery Session summary Video

16:30-17:00

Halal Standards online tool launch

Al Dafna II

Photo gallery Video

17:00-17:30

Closing Plenary. Summary and recommendations

Al Dafna II
Individual matchmaking meetings between pre-registered buyers and sellers in: food and specialty foods; plastics and packaging and tourism.

Photo gallery Closing statement Press release Video

17:30-18:30

Press conference

Al Dafna II

Photo gallery Video

Hosted by

WEDF Brochure

speakers
Xin Liu

Vikrom Kromadit

Ursula Wynhoven

Shouwen Wang

Shinto Nugroho

Patricia Russ

Lubna Shaban

Kolin Low

Joseph Wozniak

H.E. Maithripala Sirisena

Zoritsa Urosevic

Zahra Maafiri

Wolfgang Arlt

Susan Stone

Shamshad Akhtar

Sally Buberman

Rhizlan El Alaoui

Pascal Khoo

Matanda Wayubele

Marion Jansen

Kurt Cavano

Jagdish Singla

Indira malwatte

Gao Hongbing

Eben Sermon

Donia Hammami

D J Pandian

Minister Malik Samarawickrama

Mano Sekaram

Upul Jayasuriya

Sujeewa Senasinghe

Hiran Cooray

Deshamanya Mahesh Dayalal Amalean

Stefano Arganese

Patricia Scotland

Brian Pallas

Tony Nash

Sabur Khan

Saman Kelegama

Gian Luca Petrelli

Dulith Herath

Arancha González