The international entrepreneur arena shines brightly this year with the opening of the fifth edition of the World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum in Manama, Bahrain. As I prepare to take you into the whirlwind of this major event, it is essential to delve into the heart of the question: how can innovation and growth combine forces to achieve the 17 Development Goals Sustainable Development of the United Nations?
Delegates at this UN forum will hold crucial discussions around pressing issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, peace and justice. This year again, the objective remains to empower entrepreneurial leaders to build a brighter future and achieve sustainable development for all.
Fatou Haidara, Deputy Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), highlights the crucial role of the private sector in economic development. It highlights the essential role of SMEs, particularly in developing countries, in terms of value and job creation.
It is clear that the challenges facing the world today cannot be addressed by a single entity. A collective and collaborative approach is essential. In this sense, this meeting is of capital importance, not only for the private sector, but for all the actors involved, whether policy makers, academia, financial and investment institutions.
Partners of this forum include the League of Arab States, the Union of Arab Chambers, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the Shenzhen Federation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship, as well as various local, regional and international entities .
This week of reflections and sharing of experiences promises to be rich in lessons and perspectives. It is essential that all these actors mobilize together to accelerate the implementation of the sustainable development goals. Because it is together that we can truly transform challenges into opportunities and build a better future for all.
As this forum closes on May 16, there is one certainty: the continued commitment of everyone is essential to drive real change and instil a dynamic of progress on a global scale. The world of business and entrepreneurship has a major role to play in building a more just, inclusive and sustainable society for generations to come.