Richard Melson
August 2004
UK GOVERNMENT FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (FCO) CONFERENCE ON MIDDLE EAST ECONOMICS: WILTON PARK
| CONFERENCE: | ||||
| ECONOMIC REFORM IN THE
ARAB MIDDLE EAST: CARRYING THE AGENDA FORWARD Tuesday 31 August – Friday 3 September 2004 756th WILTON PARK CONFERENCE Following the rescheduled summit of the League of Arab States, the G8 Sea Island summit, the EU’s adoption of its New Neighbourhood policy and an EU Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East, how do Arab states aim to carry forward their agenda on economic reform? How can Arab states and the West work together collaboratively? To what extent have Middle East economies been reformed? How can obstacles to economic reform be overcome? What is needed to stimulate increased trade and investment in the Middle East? How far has the accession process to the WTO promoted economic reform? What are the prospects for a Middle East free trade zone? Should the West offer greater incentives in trade policy? Are EU and US economic policies towards the region complementary or in competition? Speakers invited and themes proposed (*speakers to be confirmed) |
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| TUESDAY 31 AUGUST 2004 | ||||
| 1500-1515 | INTRODUCTION TO THE CONFERENCEIsobelle JAQUES Associate Director, Wilton Park |
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| 1515-1645 | 1 | KEY CHALLENGES FOR ARAB
ECONOMIC REFORM Mustapha K. NABLI Regional Chief Economist and Sector Director, Middle East and North Africa, World Bank, Washington DC |
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| ECONOMIC REFORM AS PART OF A
BROADER REFORM AGENDA Abdel Latif AL-HAMAD Director General and Chairman, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Safat |
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| 1730-1915 | 2 | THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT: THE
ARAB REFORM AGENDA AND THE ROLE FOR WESTERN ENGAGEMENT Bassem I. AWADALLAH Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Amman |
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| THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT:
WORKING THROUGH EXISTING INSTITUTIONS PERSPECTIVES OF THE UNDP Maen F. NSOUR Senior Regional Programme Adviser, Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP, New York PERSPECTIVES OF THE OECD Mehmet ÖGÜTÇÜ Head, Non-Members Liaison Group, OECD, Paris |
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| WEDNESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2004 | ||||
| 0900-1030 | 3 | KEY REFORM ISSUES: HOW TO
TACKLE PUBLIC SECTOR AND CIVIL SERVICE RESTRUCTURING? Abdel Hamid TEMMAR Minister-Counsellor to the President, Algiers |
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| 1100-1230 | 4 | KEY REFORM ISSUES: THE FUTURE
OF SUBSIDIES AND PRICE CONTROL? A SYRIAN PERSPECTIVE Abdallah DARDARI Head, State Planning Commission, Damascus |
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| 1500-1630 | 5 | KEY REFORM ISSUES: ECONOMIC
REFORM AND TRADE LIBERALISATION IN THE ARAB WORLD Basil FULEIHAN Chair, Parliamentary Committee on National Economy, Trade, Industry and Planning; former Minister of Economy and Trade, Beirut A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE M. Shafik GABR Chairman and Managing Director, Artoc Group for Investment and Development, Cairo |
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| 1700-1900 | 6 | KEY REFORM ISSUES: GOOD
GOVERNANCE AND BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE PARALLEL WORKING GROUPS ON: · CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR PRIVATE
BUSINESS Chairman and Managing Director, Artoc Group for Investment and Development, Cairo · HOW CAN THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE ECONOMY BE PROMOTED? IS THIS BEING DONE? Sheikha Lubna AL QASIMI Chief Executive Officer, Tejari, Dubai · PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY: WHAT ROLE CAN CIVIL SOCIETY PLAY? Charles D. ADWAN Executive Director, Lebanese Transparency Association, Beirut |
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| THURSDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2004 | ||||
| 0900-1000 | 7 | ACHIEVING POLITICAL BUY-IN:
GAINING POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO ECONOMIC REFORM Heba HANDOUSSA Member of the Shura Council; national coordinator for the Egyptian Human Development Report, Cairo |
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| 1000-1100 | 8 | HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT:
HOW TO ALIGN EDUCATION TO THE NEEDS OF THE ECONOMY? Hossam BADRAWI Member, People’s Assembly and Chairman, Education and Scientific Research Committee of the People’s Assembly, Cairo |
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| 1130-1230 | 9 | WHAT CONSTITUTES BEST ECONOMIC
POLICY AND PRACTICE? REFORM IN TUNISIA: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES? Azzam MAHJOUB Professor of Economic Science, Tunis Menara University, Tunis |
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| 1430–1600 | 10 | PARALLEL WORKING GROUPS:
LESSONS LEARNED AND THE WAY FORWARD COUNTRY- SPECIFIC EXPERIENCES · SAUDI ARABIA Minister of State, Riyadh · EGYPT Samir RADWAN Managing Director, Economic Research Forum, Cairo · MOROCCO Director General of Bilateral Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rabat · IRAQ Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, Baghdad |
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| 1630-1830 | 10 | WHAT ROLE FOR EXTERNAL ACTORS? HOW WILL US INITIATIVES TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC REFORM IN THE REGION EVOLVE? Charles King MALLORY Senior Advisor, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Department of State, Washington DC AN EU ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE MIDDLE EAST: WHAT CAN THE EUROPEAN UNION OFFER COUNTRIES WHICH REFORM? Bertin MARTENS Economist , Middle East & South Mediterranean, External Relations Directorate General, European Commission, Brussels HOW CAN OSCE MEMBER STATES BEST COOPERATE WITH THE ARAB MIDDLE EAST? Jerry S. GRAFSTEIN Treasurer, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly; Senator, Ottawa |
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FRIDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2004 |
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| 0915 | Participants depart | |||
| This is a preview programme and
as such may be subject to change. This conference is open to those with expertise to share or an interest in the theme; our aim is to have a broad spread of nationalities and institutions represented. The contribution to costs, normally £900, covers three nights’ accommodation and all meals, and transport from and to Gatwick airport at the beginning and end of the conference. A small number of concessionary places may be available on request. The conference agenda is being organised by Ms Isobelle Jaques, Associate Director, Telephone +44 (0) 1903 817781 Fax +44 (0) 1903 816900 email: isobelle.jaques@wiltonpark.org.uk Enquiries about participation and local travel to: Miss Jo Childs, Conference Administrator, Wilton Park, Wiston House, Steyning, West Sussex BN44 3DZ. Telephone: +44 (0)1903 817755 Fax: +44 (0) 1903 817162 Email: jo.childs@wiltonpark.org.uk |
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SOME ASSOCIATED WILTON PARK EXPERTS:
Wilton Park Academic Council Membership
By category (ordinary or ex officio) and seniority of appointment
Ordinary members
| NAME | POSITION | TERM |
STARTED |
REAPPOINTED |
MEETING |
| Dr Farhan Nizami, Chair |
Director, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies | 1st |
Summer 2004 | Winter 2013 | |
| Lord Corbett of Castle Vale | Labour Party Parliamentary representative | 3rd |
Summer 1996 | Winter 1999 Winter 2002 |
Winter 2005 |
| Sir Anthony Young | Trade Union Liaison Officer, Ethical Trading Initiative | 3rd |
Summer 1996 | Winter 1999 Winter 2002 |
Winter 2005 |
| Mr Nik Gowing | Journalist and Broadcaster | 2nd |
Winter 1998 | Summer 2002 | Summer 2008 |
| Dr David Bryer CMG | Chair, Oxfam International and Trustee, Save The Children | 2nd |
Winter 1999 | Summer 2002 | Summer 2009 |
| Sir Michael Quinlan GCB | Former Director, The Ditchley Foundation | 2nd |
Winter 1999 | Summer 2002 | Summer 2009 |
| Dame Veronica Sutherland DBE CMG | President, Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge | 2nd |
Winter 1999 | Summer 2002 | Summer 2009 |
| Mr David Heath CBE MP | Liberal Democrat Parliamentary representative and Shadow Minister for Work and for Science | 2nd |
Winter 2001 | Summer 2004 | Summer 2011 |
| Sir Patrick Cormack FSA MP | Conservative Party Parliamentary representative and Shadow Minister for Work and for Science | 2nd |
Summer 2002 | Winter 2011 | |
| Sir Rodric Braithwaite GCMG | Chairman of the Russia Programme of the Centre for European Reform | 2nd |
Winter 2002 | Summer 2012 | |
| Professor Anand Menon | Director European Research Institute, University of Birmingham | 2nd |
Winter 2002 | Summer 2012 | |
| Lord Skidelsky | Professor of Political Economy at Warwick University | 2nd |
Winter 2002 | Summer 2012 | |
| Ms Mary Jo Jacobi | Vice President Group External Affairs, Shell International | 2nd |
Winter 2002 | Summer 2012 | |
| Dr Heather Grabbe | Research Director, The Centre for European Reform | 2nd |
Winter 2002 | Summer 2012 | |
| Mr Janusz Heath | Managing Director, Allianz Specialised Investments | 2nd |
Winter 2002 | Summer 2012 | |
| Note: From 2002 first terms
of appointment have been calculated from the first meeting of WPAC after a new member has
accepted appointment. The First term = 6 meetings (ie three full years), Second term = 6
meetings, Third term = 8 meetings. Maximum number of terms is three. The Chair is
appointed for terms of two years, for a maximum number of five terms. |
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Ex officio members |
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| NAME | POSITION | TERM STARTED | |||
| Mr Keith Dobson OBE |
Secretary General of the Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial Society | Summer 2000 | |||
| Sir David Green KCMG |
Director-General of the British Council | Summer 2000 | |||
| Professor Victor Bulmer-Thomas OBE |
Director, Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House | Summer 2001 | |||
| Mr Jim Dougal | Representative of European Commission in UK | Winter 2002 | |||