The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group organized an event on “Promoting Connectivity for Sustainable Development” on the sidelines of WTO’s Aid for Trade Global Review 2017 in Geneva. The event was chaired by Hani Salem Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), on behalf of the chairman of the IDB Group, in addition to the special presence of Aja Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, vice president of Gambia, who delivered the keynote speech.
The event provided an in-depth analysis of the IDB Group’s strategic objectives in financing infrastructure investment for enhancing connectivity, regional integration and trade development. During the event, the IDB Group launched its report on “Promoting Connectivity for Sustainable Development” which highlights IDB Group’s support for development of productive capacities in member countries and its assistance to overcome supply side constraints. The report also highlights main achievements of Aid for Trade activities in member countries.
The event was also an opportunity to bring together experts and partners to share experiences and exchange ideas on ways to overcome key obstacles that hinder the growth and connectivity among member countries. Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the WTO Saleh bin Eid Al-Hussaini and Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the WTO Amr Ramadan were the key speakers in the opening session. In addition, presentations were made by Torbjörn Fredriksson, chief of ICT Analysis, Technology and Logistics at the UN Conference on Trade and Development, Nicolas Gresser, director of Regulatory Affairs at Etisalat Group, Syed Habib Ahmed, adviser to ITFC CEO, Ahmed Al-Qabany, senior transport and urban development specialist at IDB, and Elmostafa AitAmor, senior cooperation specialist at IDB.
Hani Salem Sonbol stated that “the IDB Group has adopted a 10-year strategy (2016-2025) of which one of its objectives is “Connectivity for Growth.” The objective of Connectivity for Growth stems from IDB Group’s mandate to promote cooperation among its member countries in various forms, both in terms of private sector and public-sector cooperation to enhance trade, investment, knowledge, and capacity development.

Source: Arab News