ARAB COUNTRIES TO DISCUSS IMPLICATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS ______________________

Press Release

ARAB COUNTRIES TO DISCUSS IMPLICATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT AGREEMENTS ______________________

High-level government representatives from Arab countries will meet in Cairo on 17 and 18 May to discuss the implications of international investment agreements for their region. This regional symposium, hosted by the Government of Egypt, is organized jointly by UNCTAD and the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, with the participation of the League of Arab States.

This symposium is part of UNCTAD’s efforts to help developing countries participate effectively in discussions on international investment arrangements. Similar events were organized for Africa, in Fez (Morocco) in 1997; for Asia, in New Delhi (India), for the Caribbean in Kingston (Jamaica), and for the Latin American region in Lima (Peru) in 1998.

Promoting investment in the Arab countries is an objective of the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation.

The objective of the Symposium is to familiarize policy-makers from developing countries with existing investment arrangements and their impact on development, and to contribute to a better understanding of the key issues and concepts involved.

On 19 May, at a round-table open to the press, participants in the symposium will share their views with representatives of the business community, academia and non governmental organizations, about the implications of international investment frameworks for civil society.

The Cairo symposium is organized with the financial support of the European Commission, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

This note to correspondents can also be found on the Internet at the following address: http://www.unctad.org in the press and reference section

For more information, please contact Magda Khorshid at the United Nations Information Center in Cairo, on telephone +202 3545153, fax: +202 3553705 or e-mail: unic.eg@undp.org; or Anna Joubin-Bret, Consultant, Division on Investment, Technology and Enterprise Development, UNCTAD, on telephone: +4122 9075897/5051, fax: +4122 9070194, or e-mail: anna.joubin-bret@unctad.org; or Carine Richard-Van Maele, Chief, Press Unit, UNCTAD, on telephone: +4122 9075816/28, fax: +4122 9070043; or e-mail: press@unctad.org