São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce was a guest for the Arab International Investor Forum (AiiF). Its president Rubens Hannun travelled to Paris, France to attend the event on Tuesday (17) and Wednesday (18).
“We were invited in the capacity of guests of honor. Perhaps in upcoming editions we’ll be back with a delegation,” Hannun told ANBA over the phone.
The forum included theo Arab Investor Award (AIA), held on Tuesday. The award was presented to businesspeople and scholars in categories including Innovation, Impact of Investment, Green Application, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Governance, and Gender Equality. The Arab Investor Award is a recognition of outstanding performance by corporations and individuals in the sustainable investment field, in collaboration with the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD).
On Wednesday, panels delved into the AIA subjects featuring public and private sector and academia speakers. “The event was held in France because their goal is to internationalize this effort, the Arab incentive in these subjects, and to convey this message to other countries,” said Hannun.
The AiiF was created by a board comprising members from the business, academic and science communities. Its purpose is to come up with opportunities for collaboration and development in investments.
“All of the panels were very interesting. The panel on governance covered private sector-government collaboration. The panel on gender equality showed that Arab countries have made great progress in this field,” the Arab Chamber president said.
Another highlight was the panel on Innovation. “When they speak of innovation, they speak of the key role played by young people in this respect. They showed that an entire business must be involved, rather than it just being a brand strategy. You have to take it to the social realm, with investments in education and the development of people,” said Hannun.
According to him, the event was an attestation of how Arabs are concerned with the subjects at hand. “They’re showing the world how Arab countries deal with these issues,” he said.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
