São Paulo – Representatives of Arab organizations participated in the inauguration of the new president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), which took place in a hybrid format on Thursday, 22. The ceremony marked the departure of Rubens Hannun, who had led the organization for four years, and welcomed diplomat Osmar Chohfi, who took office as president.
The event was remotely attended by Khaled Hanafy, secretary-general of the Union of Arab Chambers, and Qais Shqair, ambassador of the League of Arab States in Brazil. As for Ibrahim Alzeben (pictured above), ambassador of Palestine and dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil, he attended the event in person at the ABCC on Avenida Paulista in São Paulo.
Alzeben pointed out the strategic role Brazil plays in the food security of the Arab countries, which is a challenge the new board intends do tackle. “It’ll be up to us to set up a better business environment to increase trade and strengthen Arab direct investment in Brazil, as well as tackle logistics in Brazilian ports and Arab terminals. In this regard, prospects are very promising,” said the Palestinian ambassador.
Shqair underscored the legacy of the ABCC work. “Over the decades of hard work to strengthen the historic ties that bind our two worlds together, the organization has become a great partner in Arab diplomatic missions across Brazil, including embassies, consulates, as well as culture and trade representation offices,” he said.
For the ambassador of the Arab States in Brazil, the new board will have several missions to accomplish. “The Arab House was one of the results of the survey on the Arab community in Brazil. It has opened up new vistas towards strengthening community presence and delving deeper into the roots of the Arab world and its multiple cultures,” Shqair said, before going on to mention the strong viewership in the latest Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries.
Speaking from Egypt, Hanafy praised the economic, strategic cooperation of the past few years, which enable access to new markets and boosted business between Arabs and Brazilians. “I wish success upon the new president, our most respected ambassador, whom I have cooperated and worked with. The Union of Arab Chambers will continue to cooperate with the ABCC to open up new vistas in new countries,” said Hanafy underscored, assuring the Brazilian organization of his continuous support.
Chohfi
The ABCC’s new president, Osmar Chohfi, worked as a diplomat for 45 years, and has been a member of the ABCC board of directors as vice president of Foreign Relations since 2015.
In his inaugural speech, Chohfi stressed the ABCC’s reputation among the Arab-Brazilian community. “The Chamber is a permanent construction. The boards that preceded us built a solid building. It is my duty now, alongside my fellow directors, to take care of it, holding the course that the previous administrations have wisely set. But we will surely find new paths to take us to novel, relevant initiatives,” he pointed out.
The president-elect intends to follow through with the ABCC’s ongoing steps towards economy 4.0, regionalization, through a new office in Brasília, and internationalization, with international offices in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Cairo, Egypt.
- Find out more about the new president: Osmar Chohfi becomes president of Arab Brazilian Chamber
Another point of attention will be promoting trade and economic cooperation within the broader context of the relations between Arabs and Latin Americans, as well as increasing the number of Brazilian and Arab members.
New board of directors and advisors
The ABCC’s new board of directors took office alongside the president-elect. William Adib Dib Júnior took over as Administrative vice president, Ruy Carlos Cury as Foreign Trade vice president, Mohamad Orra Mourad as Foreign Affairs vice president, Riad Younes as Marketing vice president, and Nahid Chicani as treasurer.
As for the supervisory board, it features Ricardo Elias Narchi, Romeu Curi Cassia, and Luciano Jacyr Chuahy. Substitute members are Cláudio Mario Yunes, Julio Elito Júnior, and Miguel Luiz Bucalem.
Joining the previous ABCC advisors are Raphael Jadão, Daniela Saad, Alessandra Frisso, Rogério Tuma, Abdel Wahab Mansour, Tamer Mansour, Luiz Alexandre Chicani, Nadia Younes, Soraya Smaili, José Roberto Maluf, Ali Zogbi, and Antonio Henrique Zaher.
Find out more about the event:
Rubens Hannun bids farewell to ABCC presidency
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
