Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan will participate in the 11^th WIEF, themed 'Building Resilience for Equitable Growth’ scheduled for November 3-5, 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The invitation was handed by Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) Foundation to Novruz Mammadov, Deputy head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration and chief of the administration’s foreign relations department during their meeting in Baku on September 17.

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.

“More nations such as Azerbaijan are putting in place numerous initiatives to encourage trade and investment amongst international partners, and the 11^th World Islamic Economic Forum provides an ideal platform to further these efforts,” Tun Musa Hitam said.

He further said that 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 11^th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) later this year,” he said.

The nation’s 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 the State Statistical Committee.

The 11^th 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.

The WIEF Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Kuala Lumpur, organizes the annual World Islamic Economic Forum, a world-class business platform showcasing business opportunities in the Muslim world, and runs programmes of the various initiatives of the Foundation that strengthen people partnership and knowledge exchange between Muslim and non-Muslim communities across the globe.

The WIEF has previously held forums in Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Kuwait and
Pakistan, the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates and aims to bring together Muslim and non-Muslim communities through the common language of business.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz