The Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) took part in the 7th Bosphorus Summit held by the International Cooperation Platform under the patronage of Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Istanbul, from the 29th of November till the 1st of December 2016. Heads of states, prime ministers, government officials and experts from around 90 countries participated in this event.
Mr. Al-Ageel
In his speech, GOIC Secretary General Mr. Abdulaziz Bin Hamad Al-Ageel thanked the organisers of the 7th Bosphorus Summit for their kind invitation of the Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC) to attend this important international event. He said: “GOIC is highly interested in the annual participation at this summit, as it is one of the key catalysts of economic and industrial development and public-private cooperation and partnership in the region in the areas of investments and trade. It also helps boosting the strategic and comprehensive business participation of the private sector in the support of humanitarian work to strengthen societies.”
“Private sector’s partaking in humanitarian activities increased steadily in the last decade. Still, private sector’s role is expected to be even bigger through new partnerships with local and international organisations to invest in prevention and mitigation of risks, hence improving countries’ readiness to face shocks by better risk analysis, contingency planning and social security plans”, added the Secretary General.
Mr. Al-Ageel praised Turkey for its initiative to host the World Humanitarian Summit “A Turning Point for Humanitarian Action” that took place in May 2016 in Istanbul in collaboration with the United Nations. Indeed, the WHS succeeded in mobilising governments and stakeholders in the area of humanitarian activities and development to agree on a new modus operandi by “investing in resilient communities and stable societies.
Furthermore, Mr. Al-Ageel explained that private SMEs form around 90% of the global private sector companies: they are the world’s main employer and key economic player. Their role in relief efforts and humanitarian activities has been disregarded in the past, but the future looks very promising.
The Secretary General underlined the role of the industrial private sector in the GCC and all over the world. He opined that it needs to be directed towards the support of the many business initiatives in the humanitarian field. He reiterated the need to support the initiatives of industrial SMEs to promote sustainable relief efforts and boost socio-economic development as well. “In this regard, SMEs can benefit from the numerous industrial investment opportunities offered by GOIC”, said Mr. Al-Ageel. He added: “There is a need to establish a new partnership between the private sector, government institutions and civil society organisations to put together plans that prepare communities to face disasters and shocks.”
He concluded: “The industrial private sector endeavours to partake in relief efforts and humanitarian activities in the industrial sector. Therefore, policy-makers need to understand the new features and characteristics of manufacturing on the one hand, and commit to the new partnership principles preparing countries in the region to better deal with shocks and choose innovative financing mechanisms to face crises on the other hand.”
On the sidelines of the 7th Bosphorus Summit, the organizers offered a trophy to GOIC in recognition for its support for the fourth consecutive year, and its contribution to the success of the summit. HE Mr. Abdul Aziz Bin Hamad Al-Ageel, Secretary General of the Organization Received the trophy from HE Mr. Arshad Hormozlo, the Turkish President’s Senior Councillor for Middle Eastern Affairs and the head of the executive committee, during the dinner ceremony attended by the delegations.