Qatar to invite LDC delegates

Qatar Chamber will invite 50 chamber delegates from least developed countries (LDC) to participate in the upcoming  8th World Chamber Congress that will take place in Doha during April 22-25, 2013. LDCs will be able to voice their views at one of the world’s largest gatherings of businesses and chamber leaders being organised in the Middle East for the first time ever by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) World Chambers Federation. “Corporate social responsibility (CSR) generally tends to examine the role of business in society and maximize the positive societal outcomes of business activity. Qatar Chamber aims to instill positivism not just at the 8th World Chambers Congress but also in the region and around world and beyond the actual event,” said HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, Qatar Chamber chairman. The Congress helps chambers enhance their management and service capabilities so that they can stimulate and foster private sector development, using the exchange of chamber best practice and experience to achieve this goal. According to the UN, LDCs represent the poorest and weakest segment of the international community, comprising over 800 mn people (about 12% of world population), but accounting for less than 2% of the world GDP and a paltry 1% of global trade in goods. Currently, the list includes 48 countries but Qatar Chamber will be extending the invitation to 50 to complement its own golden jubilee year in 2013. “While attending the flagship business event, delegates from LDCs will have the opportunity to mitigate negative impacts of their economies and hopefully, spur growth in their respective territories,” added Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim. The latest list of LDCs includes: (Africa) Angola, Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Pr?ncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia; (Arab States) Mauritania, Sudan and Yemen; (Asia and the Pacific) Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Maldives, Tuvalu and Vanuatu ; (Latin America and the Caribbean) Haiti. Organised biennially by ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF), the World Chambers Congress is the only international forum for delegates from over 110 countries and over 12,000 chambers, as well as their business leaders to take stock of the current business environment through a series of plenary, workshop and networking sessions.  Qatar Airways will support Qatar Chamber to bring the delegates of LDCs to Doha.