Press Release

OFID Director-General attends Annual Crans Montana Forum

PR32/2009 June 29, 2009 Vienna, Austria
Press inquiries:

 

Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, OFID Director-General, attended the 20th annual session of the Crans Montana Forum (CMF), which took place June 24-27 in Brussels, Belgium. The event was held under the theme, The International Role of the European Union: its Strategies Toward the East, Africa and the Arab World. The Director-General was also a panellist for the Forum’s Official Opening Session that convened on June 25. Accompanying Mr. Al-Herbish were Mr. Rachid Bencherif, Senior Planning Analyst from OFID’s Corporate Planning Department, and Ms. Helen Abu Jurji of the Office of the Director-General.

The session was chaired by CMF Chairman and Founder, Mr. Jean-Paul Carteron. He welcomed the panellists and other guests, and gave a brief historical overview about the CMF and its activities including its achievements to date. Other panellists were HE Mrs. Maria da Luz Dai Guebuza, First Lady of Mozambique, (Mozambique being the guest country at this year's CMF); Mr. Jacques Barrot, Vice President of the European Commission; Mr. Ephraïm Inoni, Prime Minister of Cameroon; and HE Mr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General, Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

During the Official Opening Session, Mr. Al-Herbish delivered a speech highlighting OFID's operations and achievements in its effort to alleviate poverty, particularly low-income, developing countries. He stressed OFID's commitment to stand by its partner countries during the current global financial crisis, as well as the institution’s activities within the Energy for the Poor Initiative. In conclusion, the Director-General congratulated Mr. Jean Paul Carteron on the occasion of the Forum's 20th annual session and presented him with a trophy to commemorate the event. Mr. Al-Herbish also commended the Forum for its contribution to "the global dialogue for peace, cooperation and solidarity among the nations of the world."

Later, the Director-General chaired a working lunch, which was attended by, among others, HH Prince Alois von Liechtenstein and H.E. Mr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General, Organization of the Islamic Conference. Other guests included high-ranking government and private sector representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia and Tanzania. Mr. Al-Herbish briefed the participants with more detailed information about OFID’s activities. He also answered questions posed by the guests regarding the OFID’s operations. Mr. Al-Herbish subsequently attended two other sessions, namely, The EU Foreign Policy Challenges and The European Union and Africa.

Since 1989, the CMF has been dedicated to the political and economic reconstruction of post-Cold War Europe, and the subsequent preparation of the European enlargement to the East. The Crans Montana Forum has also been very active in opening new paths of cooperation between the European Union, the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East.

 

Arabic version