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enables delegation members to take a firsthand look at opportunities on the ground.”
The delegation of more than 20 business leaders included such NUSACC Board representatives or Platinum members as AES Corporation, Boeing, CH2M Hill, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon. The delegation also included half a dozen Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs), most of which were visiting Libya for the first time. Delegation members were introduced to cabinet ministers and high-level government officials from Libya and the United States, and delegates held industry-specific meetings with private sector representatives. The Libyan business community was represented by senior leadership and hundreds of members from the Libyan Businessmen’s Council and the General Union of Libyan Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.
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Illinois Global Delegation to the GCC In March, NUSACC supported a visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar by the Illinois Global Partnership, a private/public enterprise dedicated to building the State of Illinois as a dynamic center for global business. The nine-member delegation represented a wide variety of sectors, including aerospace, health care management, consultancy, architecture and financial advisory services.
During the delegation’s two-country visit, participants had an opportunity to meet with high-level government officials, business leaders, and prospective business partners in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The delegation was hosted by the Chambers of Commerce in both countries, which addressed topics related to prospective investment opportunities, commercial partnerships, trade promotion, and concerns related to America’s restrictive visa requirements. Thomas Miner, Chairman of the Illinois Global Partnership, thanked the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce for its assistance. “NUSACC’s support and know-how in the Arab world made you an invaluable resource for IGP on our trade mission to Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” he said. “NUSACC clearly understands the needs of U.S. and Arab business leaders and the importance of building the relationship between America and that important part of the world.” World Economic Forum in Egypt NUSACC leadership and some of NUSACC’s member companies were well represented at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East, held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. In keeping with the WEF’s theme, “The Promise of a New Generation,” the new leadership at NUSACC actively supported some of the discussions on entrepreneurship, training, investment opportunities in the region, and trade with the United States. |
Naguib Sawiris, Chairman of Egypt’s Mobinil, whose company is a NUSACC Platinum member and Board member, highlighted the importance of human resource development, particularly national education systems. He suggested that the private sector can be a very important resource to Arab governments when it comes to thinking globally. He cited the case of Egypt: “In the past, we used to be very happy if the government just left us alone,” he said. “We used to run away from them because they didn’t speak our language. When we went global, they accused us of being traitors because we were investing outside the economy.” With the new leadership in Egypt, he said, that attitude has changed 180 degrees. Egypt leads the region in tapping private sector leaders to spearhead key government offices. More than half a dozen business leaders now serve as ministers, and this has led to some of the most business-friendly policies Egypt has ever seen.
Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, the senior U.S. Government representative at the WEF, stated, “I believe people will look back five years from now, and they’ll see that the changes were much greater than they might have expected, because I think that there are actually big things afoot here.” Zoellick, appealing for a greater dialogue between the United States and the Arab world, expressed his appreciation to the » |
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8 US-Arab Tradeline • 2006: The Year in Review