Jordan to host 10th World Economic Forum on Mena next year

The meeting will be held April 5 to 6t at the Dead Sea

Jordan will host the 10th edition of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa next year by the Dead Sea to address the region's most critical challenges.

More than 1,000 government, business and civil society leaders from over 50 countries are expected to participate, the WEF said in a statement on Monday. The meeting will be the tenth in Jordan and the seventeenth to be held in the region.

"The region stands at a crucial moment in its history – with an unprecedented opportunity for transformation, driven by its young populations and their embrace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said. "But the promise can only be fulfilled if regional and international stakeholders step up their commitment to resolving the ongoing conflicts, which hold back the region’s standing in the world."

The meeting will provide an opportunity to collaborate on scaling up regional governments efforts for social and economies reform, the statement said. It will focus on sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation.

The meeting will pay particular attention to women entrepreneurs and key issues such as transparency, accountability, sustainability and environmental protection.

It will also host dialogues with key decision-makers from the region, the United States, Europe and Asia to address geopolitical challenges, including in Syria and Libya.

The World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa was last held in Jordan in 2017. Next year’s meeting will mark the tenth hosted by Jordan since it was first convened at the Dead Sea in 2003.