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Supporting
congress attendants aids global business development
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| Quebec City -
home to the 3rd World Chambers Congress |
Quebec
City, 17 September 2003 - The Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA) and the U.S. based Centre for International Private Enterprise
(CIPE) have made it possible for chambers of commerce from all over the
world to be represented at the 3rd World Chambers Congress, which just
wrapped up in Quebec City.
As a result of funding
from CIDA and CIPE, 19 individuals who would otherwise not have the financial
resources to attend the World Chambers Congress are concluding three days
of meetings with chambers of commerce from around the world.
Avijit Mazumdar, Chairman
of the World Chambers Federation (WCF), said: "The recipients of
CIPE and CIDA funding have benefited from an opportunity to meet and exchange
best practices with their chamber peers. Their presence at the 3rd World
Chambers Congress truly enhances the global nature of this event."
Hussein Shibeshi Yimmam,
from the Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce was not only able to attend the
congress but to participate in the final presentations for the first ever
World Chambers Competition, profiled at this year's congress. Without
funding, the chamber would not have been represented even though their
entry made it into the competition finals.
"The opportunity
to participate in a meeting of this size and stature can only be of benefit
to the Addis Ababa chamber and its members," said Mr Shibeshi Yimman,
"The lessons I have learned here from meeting other chamber colleagues,
I will take back to my country and use to help build our local economy."
CIDA's funding covered
airfare and all congress costs for 10 individuals from Argentina, Congo,
Haiti, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Paraguay, Russia, Senegal, Venezuela,
and Vietnam. CIPE, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, likewise
sponsored nine individuals from chambers in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Colombia,
Ethiopia, Indonesia, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Sri Lanka.
Simon Rakotondrahova
from the Antananarivo Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Madagascar highlighted
the importance of attending the congress. "Madagascar is an island
with an international outlook," he said. "We want to expose
our companies to international markets, and a congress like this is vital
to making those sorts of contacts."
Mr Rakotondrahova
noted the value of being physically present at the conference: "You
can contact people by mail or fax or even email, but nothing substitutes
for personal contact."
One of CIDA's priorities
is to promote sustained and equitable economic growth by supporting the
private sector in developing countries. Mr Mazumdar said the 3rd World
Chambers Congress would address CIDA's private sector development priorities
by "giving delegates the opportunity to attain the tools
and knowledge
to effectively manage a chamber of commerce." He added: "We
hope this will lead to a sustainable advancement of private sector activities
in developing countries."
The precedent for
this kind of agency support was set at the first World Chambers Congress
in Marseilles in 1999.
At that time, the
United Nations Development Program provided assistance for members of
chambers from 10 countries to attend. Individuals came from Bolivia, Bulgaria,
Dubai, Ethiopia, Macedonia, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Samoa and Yemen.
Likewise, The Asian Development Bank assisted chamber leaders from Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Thailand and
Vietnam to attend the 2nd World Chambers Congress held in 2001 in Seoul,
Korea.
The 3rd World Chambers
Congress was co-hosted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the
Quebec City Entrepreneur's Regional Chamber of Commerce (CCREQ), in co-operation
with the World Chambers Federation (WCF), ICC, the world business organization's
specialized division for chamber of commerce affairs.
World
Chambers Competition
3rd
World Chambers Congress
World
Chambers Federation website
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