Under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI

Welcome cocktail Hosted by the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco
Hotel Palmeraie Golf Palace

Welcome remarks:

• Mr. Ahmed Réda CHAMI, Minister of Trade and Industry, Kingdom of Morocco
• Mr. Mohamed TAMER, Vice-President, Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), Kingdom of Morocco

Opening remarks:

• Mr. Angel GURRÍA, Secretary-General, OECD
• Ambassador Melanne VERVEER, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State, United States

Panel I: Women Business Leaders Summit
Women’s entrepreneurship beyond the crisis: a catalyst for growth

How can MENA governments facilitate increased female participation in economic activity, as part of a strategy for job creation and economic growth in the region? What concrete measures can be taken to remove gender-specific obstacles to entrepreneurship and employment?

Representatives from international, regional, and local businesswomen’s associations, along with CEOs and Ministers from MENA and OECD countries, will discuss these and other pressing issues in this session. They will also assess the steps taken since the 2007 MENA-OECD Ministerial Declaration on Fostering Women’s Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region and produce adraft Action Plan to identify measures needed to boost women’s entrepreneurship in the region.

Moderator: H.E. Ms. Cristina NARBONA RUIZ, Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Permanent Delegation of Spain to the OECD
Panelists:

• Ambassador Melanne VERVEER, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, U.S. Department of State, United States
• H.E. Nouzha SKALLI, Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, Kingdom of Morocco
• H.E. Dr. Sheikha Hissah Saad A. AL-SABAH, President, Council of Arab Business Women, Kuwait
• Ms. Neveen EL TAHRI, Chairperson and Managing Director, Delta Holding for Financial Investments, Arab Republic of Egypt
• Ms. Asmaa MOUHIB, Manager, Le Messager; President, Union des Femmes Investisseurs Arabes, Kingdom of Morocco

Panel I is followed by three parallel sessions:

• Session A: Women Business Leaders Summit Networking Roundtable
• Session B: MENA Forum on Responsible Business Conduct
• Session C: International Advisory Group of the MENA Commercial Law Strengthening Project

11:30 – 13:00
Cristal Room

The MENA-OECD Women’s Business Network, which is composed of business leaders, representatives of civil society and business associations, and experts from both MENA and OECD countries, will provide recommendations to governments on how to improve the climate for women’s entrepreneurship and economic participation. It will facilitate privileged links and exchanges between MENA and OECD businesswomen. An interactive internet platform will ensure the Network’s continuous input into the gender-related activities of the MENA-OECD Investment Programme.
During this panel discussion, participants will exchange experiences in overcoming obstacles to entrepreneurship. They will also be invited to comment on the draft Action Plan presented in Panel I, and provide key considerations for the Network’s future.
Moderator: H.E. Karen KORNBLUH, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the United States to the OECD
Panelists:

• Dr. Amany ASFOUR, Chairperson, President, Egyptian Business Women Association, Arab Republic of Egypt
• Ms. Saloua Karkri BELKEZIZ, CEO, GFI Maroc and Honorary President, AFEM, Kingdom of Morocco
• Ms. Sonia Khandji CACHECHO, General Manager, Wella, Syria
• Ms. Frédérique CLAVEL, President, Paris Pionnières, France
• Ms. Serena ROMANO, Manager of Public Affairs, Telecom Italia, Italy
• Ms. Chiara CORAZZA, Managing Director of the Greater Paris Investment Agency, France

Lunch Sponsored by l’Association des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises du Maroc (AFEM) and Les Eaux Minérales d’Oulmès, SMEIA and TOP CLASS ESPRESSO LAVAZZA

The MENA Forum on Responsible Business Conduct, an initiative of the MENA-OECD Investment Programme, brings together representatives from business, government and civil society to decide on concrete initiatives to promote the success of enterprises and the sustainable development of societies. First, CEOs and high-level business representatives will present a range of responsible business conduct experiences that highlight both individual and collective initiatives involving one or several companies and stakeholders. Their focus will lie on main success factors and challenges for companies involved in responsible business conduct.
Expert commentators will then place these individual accounts into a broader perspective, and seek to illustrate the global benefit of responsible business involvement across a variety of policy areas, such as business integrity, health, labour standards, and environmental protection. Participants will help determine priorities and main areas of co-operation between stakeholders. Conclusions from this session will be transmitted to the MENA-OECD Ministerial the following day.
Moderator: Ms. Carolyn ERVIN, Director, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, OECD
Presentations:

• Mr. Majied QASEM, CEO, D1G, Hachemite Kingdom of Jordan
• Mr. Thierry DE MARGERIE, President, Alstom Morocco
• Mr. Ashraf Gamal EL-DIN, Egyptian Institute of Directors, Arab Republic of Egypt

Commentators:

• Mr. Graham MINTER, Advisor to the MENA Forum on Responsible Business Conduct
• Mr. Gerard ZOVIGHIAN, Vice Chairman, Lebanese Transparency Association, Lebanon
• Mr.  Djordjija PETKOSKI, Lead Specialist and Programme Leader, The World Bank
• Ms. Fathia BENNIS, Chairman and CEO, MAROCLEAR, Kingdom of Morocco
• Ms. Catherine MINARD, International Director, MEDEF

Lunch Sponsored by l’Association des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises du Maroc (AFEM) and Les Eaux Minérales d’Oulmès, SMEIA and TOP CLASS ESPRESSO LAVAZZA

Strong and effective commercial law is the foundation of a dynamic business environment. In this context, the International Advisory Group of the Arab Centre for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI) meets with the aim to strengthen demand-side commercial law reform in the MENA region. The meeting takes place within the broader framework of the MENA Commercial Law Strengthening (CLS) project, implemented by ACRLI in co-operation with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
Partners, key stakeholders, and international and regional experts in the areas of law, economics and finance will convene to assess the progress and impact of the efforts in the MENA region to strengthen commercial law, with a focus on the broader strategic vision of commercial law reform, complementarities between similar initiatives, and prospective projects for the CLS.
Moderator: Mr. Rainer GEIGER, Attorney-at-Law, International Advisor on MENA-CLS Project
Presentations:

• Mr. Antoine BASILE, International Economist and Attorney-at-Law
• Mr. El Hadi CHAIBAINOU, Manager, Moroccan Banking Association, Kingdom of Morocco
• Mr. Michel HUNAULT, Member of Parliament and Attorney-at-Law, France
• Mr. Alexander BÖHMER, Head of Unit, MENA-OECD Investment Programme, OECD Private Sector Development Division

LuncH Sponsored by l’Association des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises du Maroc (AFEM) and Les Eaux Minérales d’Oulmès, SMEIA and TOP CLASS ESPRESSO LAVAZZA

What has business learned from the crisis, and how has this impacted companies’ practices? Where should government’s involvement begin and end in this respect? What does it mean to be a “good corporate citizen” in today’s business context? How will this new paradigm affect growth prospects, both for the OECD and MENA regions?

Moderator: H.E. Mahmoud MOHIELDIN, Minister of Investment, Arab Republic of Egypt

Panelists:

• Mr. Jean DESAZARS DE MONTGAILHARD, Executive Vice-President, Strategy, Business Development and Public Affairs, Lafarge Group, France
• Ms. Charlotte ERSBØLL, Corporate Vice President Global Stakeholder Engagement, Novo Nordisk, Denmark
• Mr. Wahbe TAMARI, CEO, Watamar & Partners SA, Lebanon
• Mr. Ismail DOUIRI, Director, Attijariwafa Bank, Kingdom of Morocco
• Mr. Walid HAREB, CEO, Dubai Consultancy LLC, United Arab Emirates

How have the banks of the region been affected by the crisis? Did the crisis affect conventional and Islamic banks differently, and has this affected their ability to provide financing in the post-crisis era? How can liquidity in the region be further mobilised? How are banks reacting to the increased scrutiny to which they are being subjected, and the threat of increased regulation? Has the crisis strengthened the importance of, and attitudes towards, equity financing in the MENA region?

Moderator: Mr. Anthony O’SULLIVAN, Head of Private Sector Development Division, OECD

Panelists:

• Ms. Nezha HAYAT, Member of the Management Board, Société Générale Morocco, Kingdom of Morocco
• Mr. Ali KADIRI, General Manager for Morocco and Director of Casablanca Branch, La Caixa, Spain
• Ms. Georgina CARNEGIE, Advisor, The Sentinent Group, Australia
• Dr. Abdullah I. EL-KUWAIZ, Former Ambassador of the Kingdom of  Saudi Arabia to the Kingdom of Bahrain

Participants will prepare and adopt the joint Business Statement, to be communicated to the MENA-OECD Ministerial the following day. It will take into account key conclusions from the Business Forum, the Women Business Leaders Summit and related panels.
Rapporteurs:

• Ms. Serena ROMANO, Manager of Public Affairs, Telecom Italia, Italy (representing the Business and Industry Advisory Council to the OECD)
• Mr. Mustapha TERRAB, CEO, Moroccan Phosphates Corporation (OCP), Kingdom of Morocco (representing the Confédération Générale des Entreprises du Maroc)

Introduction:  Mr. Angel GURRÍA, Secretary-General, OECD

Remarks: Sheikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive, Economic Development    Board, Bahrain

For governments to lay the policy framework for an attractive business climate, it is critical that the business community be a privileged partner in an ongoing dialogue. The MENA-OECD Business Council will be launched to foster such a dialogue and to bring together business representatives at the highest level to inform and advise policy makers on reform priorities in MENA and OECD countries.

The session will also present the winners of the MENA 100 Business Plan Competition and launch the MENA 100 publication.