São Paulo – Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce president Rubens Hannun and interim CEO Tamer Mansour convened this Thursday (17) with officials from Lebanon’s ministries of Economy & Trade and Tourism, in Beirut. “At the Ministry of Economy and Trade, we worked out the actions to be taken this year in partnership with Lebanon,” Hannun told ANBA over the phone.
Such actions include a trip to Brazil by a delegation of Lebanese executives on occasion of the São Paulo Supermarket Industry Association (Apas Show), running from May 6 to 9 in São Paulo. Once again, the Arab Chamber will have a pavilion at the show featuring exhibitors from Middle East and North Africa countries. In the case of Lebanon, the companies deal in food products.
It was also decided that Brazilian food security and infrastructure industry executives will travel to Lebanon in September. Hannun pointed out that the Arab country is expecting to invest USD 11.8 billion worth of World Bank funding into construction, sanitation, water treatment, energy, and oil and gas projects.
The idea is to have delegates from companies capable of carrying out work in those industries. “We will look into what are the best-suited companies,” said the Arab Chamber president, who was welcomed by Alia Abbass, an assistant to the minister.
At the Ministry of Tourism, it was agreed that a Lebanese chef will host tasting sessions at the Apas Show and to opinion-makers elsewhere. “We are also looking into ways of encouraging bilateral tourism. They (the Lebanese) have very bold ideas. They are very active in this regard,” said Hannun, who spoke with the Ministry’s secretary-general Nada Sardouk.
Forum
The Arab Chamber delegates also attended the wrap-up meeting of the Arab Private Sector Forum (pictured at the top of this story), held over the last two days by the Union of Arab Chambers in Beirut. Speakers in the session included the secretary-general of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Union secretary-general Khaled Hanafy.
The forum’s conclusions will be presented to regional authorities during the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, to be hosted by the League on the 20th, also in Beirut.
Actions suggested by chambers of commerce and executives include encouraging so-called ‘industry 4.0,’ removing non-tariff barriers between Arab nations, facilitating visas for travel between those nations, and creating an online platform to connect all chambers. Hannun noted that the Arab Brazilian Chamber is already having meetings with similar organizations in a drive to digitally integrate them and to create a shared databank.
Private sector player recommendations also included negotiating a new investment promotion agreement between Arab countries, as well as a double taxation treaty.
The Arab Chamber president also reported that the Union of Chambers general-secretary Khaled Hanafy is going to participate in the meeting of the Arab Chamber board in São Paulo in January 28.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum & Guilherme Miranda
