World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2015

At a decisive time for the region and with the full support and presence of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the World Economic Forum is convening over 800 key leaders from government, business and civil society to support a comprehensive and forward-looking vision for prosperity and peace. Directly building on recent initiatives by leaders in the region and internationally, this special Meeting will provide a high-level Public-Private coordination platform to respond to shared economic, societal and geopolitical imperatives. Particular emphasis will be placed on the advancement of youth, which is absolutely key for long-term success of current efforts to counter marginalization and radicalization. The policy reform momentum in many countries including Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco will be another focus of the Meeting, as will be the attendant infrastructure, energy and investment partnerships with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and international financial institutions. Attention will especially be paid to how these national developments can jump-start growth and foster job creation and entrepreneurship; and to the role of the private sector. Given Jordan?s unique diplomatic role and in light of the changing geopolitics and geo-economics of the region, the Meeting will hold high-level dialogues on the security and humanitarian imperatives with the goal to advance shared understanding and action, including with regard to the situation in Syria, Iraq and Libya. The programme of the Meeting will be based on the Forum?s Transformation Maps, an innovative analytical tool to inform decision making on the region. Reflecting the Forum?s status as an International Institution for Public-Private Cooperation, the Meeting will integrate on-going, impact-oriented initiatives such as the New Vision for Arab Employment, Arab Economies in Transition and the Global Strategic Infrastructure Initiative.