2016 C3 US-Arab Business Summit

OPENING PLENARY

Youth and Migration: Creating Economic Opportunity in MENA

Unemployment rates in MENA are among the highest in the world, and the absence of economic opportunity is a key contributor to migration and instability across the region.  Today, improving the economic outlook for MENA’s young women and men in their home countries is imperative for leaders around the world.   Yet general awareness of the issue has not produced an effect response at scale.  Dramatic change is needed to create economic opportunities that enable young women and men in MENA to positively contribute to their economies and societies for the long-term.  What role can the private and public sectors, as well as entrepreneurs and civil society actors, play to bring about this transformation?

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SMART CITIES PANEL

Economic, Social and Urban Growth Drivers Changing the Face of the Arab Region

Simply stated, the urban centers of the Middle East are being challenged through economic, social and urban growth drivers to accommodate urgent needs from their inhabitants. Join us for an exploration of three mega-projects, the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022, The National Transformation Programme of Saudi Arabia and the Dubai Expo 2020, where we will learn of the delivery and legacy of each of these projects. The immediate need of developing economic and environmental sustainable urban environments that will have an enormous economic impact on the region is providing the opportunity to deliver the cities of tomorrow.  The use of innovation in energy, water, transportation, education, entertainment and healthcare are just some of the remarkable deliverables for these projects that will transform the Middle East and provide a sustainable legacy.

VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDING PANEL

Sustainable Business Projects in MENA: Country Partner & Prime Opportunities for SME’s

Small and Medium Size Enterprise development is the backbone of a prosperous private sector. The social impact of thriving SMEs is job creation and on-going innovation. Recent OECD studies have shown that accumulation of VC is a significant factor contributing to productivity growth. What are the risk/return criteria associated with SME finance? What are some of the hurdles in creating a “double bottom line”, financial and social return? What are US and Arab states’ initiatives in supporting SME growth?

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KEYNOTE SPEAKER

General David H. Petraeus, (ret.)
Member, KKR,
Chairman, KKR Global Institute
Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency

KEYNOTE INTERVIEWER

Ms. Ellen Lord,
President and Chief Executive Officer,
Textron Systems

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Welcoming Remarks Introduction

Dr. John Duke Anthony,
Founding President & CEO,
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations

Luncheon Address

Dr. Ali Al Rakaf,
Founder of Project CODE
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Project CODE- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) recently announced the public launch of Project CODE, an international development effort designed to address three of the biggest challenges confronting the Middle East today: healthcare, food security and homeland security. C3 International, a Project CODE partner, is proud to have “2016 C3 US-Arab Business & Healthcare Summit” serve as the official “launch” of the Project CODE initiative in the United States of America.

Project CODE; a technology transfer project, has been established as an administrative and scientific vehicle for the transfer and localization of many strategic medical and military technologies. It is an accelerator program of unprecedented scale designed to position Saudi Arabia as a leader in both healthcare and security for the Arab world. The goal of Project CODE is to acquire 500 companies in the coming years to bring many of the world’s leading technologies (and technologists) to KSA.

The project is being headed up by Mr. Ali Al Rakaf and Professor Newton Howard from the University of Oxford, who have been entrusted by the government of Saudi Arabia to spend over $1,000,000,000 USD in the coming years to establish a new class of partnership between industry and academia, combining the efforts of several American medical and high-tech companies with many of the top academic and research institutions on the planet. Project CODE is a strategic investment project for KSA and dozens of partner institutions, throughout the world.

KEYNOTE PANEL 

The Achilles Heel of National Security: Water, Electricity and the Global Threat of Mutant Viruses

The MENA region holds only 1.4% of the world’s renewable fresh water, yet the region is home to 6.4% of the world’s population. The demand for electricity has increased by about 6-8% annually in MENA, while the rate of global demand for electricity increases by about 2.3% annually. Water and electricity remain at the top of the priority list for MENA policy makers. This panel will examine the importance of implementing water, electrical and healthcare safeguards as national security measures.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PANEL

The Importance of Cross Border Protection

As new media provides numerous channels of communication and educates the populous, governments have the incentive to become more open. And as nations open, individual expression becomes commonplace with more citizens whom are willing to engage. Any individual can now become a reporter, a pundit, or an organizer through the web. As a result, the debates and opinions expressed through these new outlets will become more representative of true public opinion. On a more personal level, people who have tasted the freedoms associated with access to sources of new media will then become less willing to live without them. For this reason, these new sources of media will continue to promote public deliberation and education which in turn will support an irreversible, bottom-up push for societal change, even in places that governments currently lack or don’t encourage an open dialogue.

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US – ARAB BUSINESS WOMEN PANEL

Perspectives on MENA Business Opportunities & Challenges for Diversity

A panel of finance professionals with interest in the Middle East and North African will discuss business opportunities in the MENA region, challenges to growth and provide their perspectives on the roles women are playing in development of the private sector. What regulatory hurdles do they see? What big changes need to happen in the region to increase opportunity? What initiatives have been effective in recruiting women into leadership roles?

PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP PANEL

Economic Security as a Public Good in MENA

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CLOSING PLENARY

Sustainable Investment: Charting a Better Return on US – Arab Investments

Mr. Talat Z. Hafiz,
Secretary General,
Media Committee & Banking Awareness,
Saudi Banks,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Sustainability is not just about contributing to social and environmental good anymore, it is also about long-term profitability. How do investment firms and mutual funds incorporate sustainability in their portfolio? How are emerging sustainability issues and subsequent ROI evaluated?

One in every six dollars is invested sustainably in the United States, with sustainability-focused mutual funds having higher returns and lower volatility 64% of the times compared to traditional funds. What is the trajectory of Sustainable Investment in the United States and what are the lessons learned? What are the trends of Sustainable Investment in the Middle East and North Africa? Where are the critical mutual-interest junctures between the United States and the Arab world?