Baku, Azerbaijan 17 September 2015 – The Honourable Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation today paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, in the country’s capital of Baku, to formally extend an invitation to the upcoming 11th WIEF, themed ‘Building Resilience for Equitable Growth’ which will be held on the 3-5 November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Forum is expected to be attended by more than 2,500 delegates including Leaders, government representatives, captains of industry, economists, entrepreneurs and representatives from the academia, NGOs and the media from around the world.
Invited Leaders who will be attending the global forum include:
“More nations such as Azerbaijan are putting in place numerous initiatives to encourage trade and investment amongst international partners, and the 11th World Islamic Economic Forum provides an ideal platform to further these efforts. In doing so, we are not only promoting greater global integration but also equitable growth. This is especially crucial in the face of volatility in today’s marketplace. Let us come together and play our part to support and uplift the quality of life of our fellow citizens around the world,” said Tun Musa Hitam.
“Azerbaijan’s progress in expanding the economy beyond its oil sector has ensured that the nation continues to develop steadily despite market volatilities, with the government encouraging the development of other sectors such as construction, agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Such foresight puts the country in good stead for sustainable growth in the future and we hope that more global collaborations are forged with Azerbaijan’s participation at the 11th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) later this year,” said Tun Musa Hitam.
The nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose by 5.6 percent to 32.1 billion manat in January-July 2015 compared to the previous year with the non-oil sector of the economy recording a nine per cent year-on-year growth, according to a report by the State Statistical Committee.
The 11th WIEF aims to further its mission of facilitating economic development and collaboration between Muslim and non-Muslim economies. The Forum returns to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, just as the region prepares for the regional integration opportunities that the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) promises.
Topic clusters which will be covered at the 11th WIEF include Islamic finance, halal industries, green technologies, education, sustainable living and development, women and youth development, and the Creative Arts. Some of the international speakers include Janez Potočnik, co-chair of the International Resource Panel (IRP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Dr Anwar Ghani, President of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) & Chairman of Halal Advisory Council, New Zealand and Tan Sri Jemilah Mahmood, Chief, World Humanitarian Summit Secretariat, United State of America, amongst the international speakers and role-players at the forum.
For the first time this year, the Forum programme will be categorised by Sector Clusters to streamline and facilitate dialogues, participation and ideation through panel discussions, Ideapad and Masterclass Sessions focusing on specific sectors.
Another first at this year’s Forum is the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Business Pavilion which will provide a secondary track aimed at mobilising expertise from all around the world to support the SME community’s efforts to capitalise on growth prospects. The SME platform will also offer valuable industry insights and technical assistance to make the most out of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) coming into effect at the end of the year.
As in previous years, the Marketplace of Creative Arts (MOCAFest) held in conjunction with the 11th WIEF will also run concurrently. MOCAFest, the Foundation’s arts and cultural festival, consists of dialogue and networking sessions, masterclasses, leadership workshops, art residences, film screenings, visual art exhibitions and artistic collaborations. Some of the artistes at the upcoming MOCAFest include Tunisian-French artist eL Seed, Mauritian singer and musician Noura Mind Seymali, and British digital artist Hatiq Mohamed, better known as Teakster.
Find out more about the 11th WIEF here: http://wief.org/forum/11/
