ICC Chairman Yong Sung Park this evening officially closed the 4th World Chambers Congress here after a handover ceremony passed the hosting of the Congress from Durban to Istanbul for 2007.
In his closing remarks Mr Park, who is also Chairman of Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company and President of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said: "The 4th World Chambers Congress has reinforced the event's excellent reputation and I am confident that the Turkish delegation will make the 5th World Chambers Congress an equal, if not greater, success than its predecessors."
Reflecting on the outcomes of the past three days' meetings he commented: "The 2005 World Chambers Congress has helped to point the way for successful business development and profitable business support for reform."
The Mayor of the City of Durban, Obed Mlaba; President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Prince Sifiso Zulu; and the CEO of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), Bheki Subya, joined Mr Park on stage for the handover and closing ceremonies, accompanied by the Mayor of Istanbul Kadir Topbas and President of the Union of Chambers, Industry, Maritime Commerce and Commodity exchanges of Turkey Rifat Hisarciklioglu.
Highlights of the Congress include:
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The address by South African President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday.
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The opening inauguration featuring S'bu Ndebele, Premier of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal; Zweli Mkhize, Minister for Finance and Development of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal; Yong Sung Park, ICC Chairman, Chairman of Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company and President of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Avijit Mazumdar, Chair of the ICC World Chambers Federation and Chairman TIL Limited, India; Obed Mlaba, Mayor of the City of Durban; Patrice Motsepe, Chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, President of Business Unity South Africa and President of Chambers Commerce of South Africa; and Prince Sifiso Zulu, President of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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The three plenary sessions on "Building good governance and strong institutions", "Rebuilding economies: the role of chambers" and "Who will be the new winners and losers in the global economy". Speakers included Paul Skinner, Chairman, Rio Tinto; Tom Donohue, President and Chief Executive Officer, US Chamber of Commerce; Maggie Kigozi, Executive Director, Uganda Investment Authority; John Sullivan, Executive Director, Centre for International Private Enterprise; Marcus Wallenberg, President and CEO, AB Invest Sweden and ICC Vice-Chairman; Sipho Mseleku, CEO of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, South Africa; Michael Fuchs, Co-owner and Member of the Advisory Board, Impex Group and Member of the Federal German Parliament; Mystafa Mansur, President, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers; John Mroz, President and Founder, EastWest Institute and Michael Powers, Strategist Investec Assets Management.
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Lively workshop sessions on a variety of issues including women in chambers of commerce, dealing with the challenges of HIV, achieving business diversity, chamber branding and public private partnerships.
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The launch of the first pan-African chamber of commerce today. To date, 42 African countries have joined the Union of African Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Professions.
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The 2005 World Chambers Competition. Tonight delegates will attend a gala dinner where the winners of the competition, which recognizes chamber initiatives that encourage the growth of business in local communities, will be announced.
The Congress received excellent media coverage. The leading South African television network, SABC, dedicated its Morning Live show to the Congress, broadcasting live interviews on the three days of the Congress with personalities including Mr Park, Mr Mazumdar, ICC Secretary General, Maria Livanos Cattaui, Mr Ndebele, Dr Zweli Mkhize, Prince Zulu, and Dr Michael Sutcliffe, City Manager of the eThekwini Municipality. SAfm, SABC's radio counterpart, set up a temporary studio at the convention centre and aired live interviews with key figures throughout the Congress. An opinion piece on the role of chambers of commerce in Africa by Mr Mazumdar was published on 20 June in Business Day, the most widely read daily business newspaper in South Africa. The Mercury, Business Report and several other South African papers published articles on the event.
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