BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

As part of UNIDO’s efforts to promote business development in the MENA region, a Business and Investment Forum is planned to take place on 22-23 May 2023, in Amman, Jordan.

The Forum is organized jointly by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED) in the framework of the EBSOMED project, and the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply (MITS) of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

The main rationale of the Business and Investment Forum is to promote trade and investment opportunities in export-oriented agro-value chains by fostering Business Networks to encourage new investment opportunities from the MENA region including Italy. In addition, the Forum will take advantage of having regional stakeholders present to promote other cross-cutting benefits for improved productivity and competitiveness along value chains specifically leading to increased energy and resource efficiency. The Business and Investment Forum is expected to draw on the participation of Jordan authorities, private sector companies, members of regional business networks and industry associations among others from the MENA region (Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Italy), Europe in particular, Italy.

The theme of the forum is “Promoting Inclusive, Competitive and Sustainable Agro-value Chains”. The growing trend to strengthen export-oriented value chains through capacity needs, financing, increasing energy and resource efficiency and support infrastructure requirements have gained substantial recognition amongst donors, governments, and private sector businesses. It brings a plethora of new opportunities for business development and can help in the transition to a circular economy with more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

The event will be supported by the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) Italy, with its unique role as a broker to investment and technology agreements between developed, developing countries and countries with economies in transition. ITPO will bring their expertise in opening up opportunities for investors and technology suppliers to find potential partners and facilitate the engagement of the community of investors in their host countries.

The Forum will provide an opportunity for Business-to-Business (B2B) meeting sessions facilitated via the Business Country Desk Platform (BCD), an online B2B matchmaking platform powered by BUSINESSMED that combines a vibrant marketplace with a dedicated space for networking and brokerage between business operators (companies, SMEs/ start-ups, etc.) and institutional structures. The business networking sessions will be extended over the days of the event, in parallel with the plenary panels and presentation sessions.

The Forum is planned to take place in Jordan, relying on its strategic geographic location that makes the Hashemite Kingdom a gateway to the Middle East. By virtue of bilateral and regional free trade agreements, Jordan has a broader outreach to significant consumers in the MENA region, and globally. In addition, the political and economic stability of Jordan attracts foreign capital investments, in particular, to support SMEs in export-oriented agro-value chains.

MAIN OBJECTIVE OF THE FORUM

The main objective of the Business and Investment Forum is to bring leading private sector companies from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region – Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Italy to Jordan with the purpose to promote investments and trade opportunities while showcasing best strategies/practices to strengthen export-oriented value chains not limited to Garment and Fashion, Food Supplements and Natural Cosmetics.

The forum will provide an opportunity for Business to Business (B2B) meetings to leverage additional investment opportunities from the region.

Specific objectives

The forum is aimed to:

• Present Investment opportunities to support local SMEs in export-oriented agro-value chains in Jordan
• Support local SMEs in Jordan to expand their networking opportunities through Business-to- Business (B2B)
• Best practices to improve productivity and competitiveness and export

FORUM ORGANIZATION

Forum methodology

A learning, dynamic, and interactive environment will allow sharing of experiences and best practices in order to attain the desired results. The presenters and facilitators are expected to take an active role in the presentations and facilitation of the sessions. The Forum will include two panel sessions featuring major stakeholders to promote investment and trade opportunities. The Forum will leverage the BCD online B2B matchmaking platform for the planned B2B sessions which will be available to SMEs throughout the event.

Participation

The Business and Investment Forum is expected to draw on the participation of Jordan authorities, private sector companies, members of regional business networks and industry associations among others from the MENA region and Europe, mainly Italy. A total of 100 participants including Jordanians are expected in Amman to attend the Forum.

Stakeholders from the countries listed below will be invited:

• Iraq
• Palestine
• Other, MENA countries (Egypt, Lebanon and Syria)
• Italy

Language requirements 

The working language of the Forum will be English, and interpretation in Arabic will be provided. All documentation and background materials will be available in English and Arabic.