Launch of the UNDP-ICTDAR Small and Medium Enterprise Toolbox
Welcoming remarks
Mr. Luc Stevens
Resident Representative
UNDP - Jordan
Amman, Jordan, 30 April 2007
Mr. Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Deputy Director of UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States
Mr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, CEO and Chairman of TAGO
Distinguished Guests,
On behalf of UNDP Jordan, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all to the launch of the Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises toolbox that will enhance the impact of businesses across the Arab region.
I would like to thank our Regional Bureau for Arab States for their support. As well I would like to express our gratitude to our ICTDAR programme for launching this unique yet practical tool at today’s event in Jordan. It is a great honour for our office.
I also wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the concrete and continuous contributions of our host of today, Mr. Talal Abu Ghazaleh, the CEO and Chairman of TAGO in supporting UN principles. In addition to his partnering with ICTDAR in designing the toolbox we are launching today, and being instrumental to our work in launching the Global Compact in Jordan, Mr. Abu Ghazaleh has also recently been appointed by the UN Secretary-General as the Deputy-Chairman of the next Global Compact Leaders Summit that will take place next July in Geneva. Congratulations Mr. Abu Ghazaleh for this appointment.
Distinguished Guests,
UNDP’s objective to alleviate poverty and support countries to meet the challenges of their Millennium Development Goals, leads us to focus on developing businesses that can contribute to economic growth and job creation.
We are pleased to see that Arab countries are moving quickly to establish free market economies. However, reaping the rewards and efficiencies of the market requires two basic conditions: competitiveness and the encouragement of a critical mass of creative entrepreneurs ready to accept risks by working in new areas of technology and goods and services.
As technology advances at a rapid pace, Arab countries will need to take avail of these innovative technological tools if they are to achieve economic growth. According to the Arab Human Development Report of 2003, many Arab micro-and small enterprises still cling to traditional modes of production that are low in knowledge content and which do not contribute to the generation of new technologies.
It is therefore clear that Arab countries need to shift towards knowledge-based economies and invest in human capital to ensure sustained economic growth. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to prioritize the support to the Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and create mechanisms to improve their competitiveness, enable their growth and increase their economic returns.
The SME Toolbox of today is a new, creative business tool that is intended to help business owners to develop and prosper as well as ensure sustainable employment opportunities for the region.
Finally, let me reiterate to you UNDP’s commitment to put human development concerns at the forefront of the development agenda so that economic growth is viewed as a means towards the achievement of employment, education and empowerment.
Many thanks.