Has JEF Achieved its Goal?

Monday, 26 February 2007
By Sabri S Jawhar
The Saudi Gazette

Sunday’s Jeddah Economic Forum probably saw the largest number of participants and guests since its founding eight years ago. The international community’s greatest minds meet here to discuss the economic future of the Middle East.

But to what end? Do we accomplish the present goals of such a great event? Some how, I’m not so sure.
After eight years, one might ask what will the Jeddah Economic Forum add to our multi-cultural Red Sea port city, Saudi Arabia as a country and the region in general? Will it be a real think tank where the increasing concerns of the region, including the economy, are to be discussed? Or will it remain a VIP club where people gather and show off? In other words, we have high-profile economists and social experts flying to Jeddah to immediately leave after their scheduled sessions. They can hardly say hello in the corridors. Sometimes they only know about each other by reading the next day’s newspaper. I have doubts the forum can be effective with so little time spent on critical issues that affect the region’s politics and economy.

The Davos forums register success one year after another. What make those forums special are the coincidental conversations and random contacts that take place between sessions. Most of the time it leads to generating great ideas as people put their guards down and are more relaxed.

The speech by Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan, for instance, serves as a prime example of the way we fail to follow up. In an emotional speech in the jam-packed main hall at the Jeddah Hilton, she wondered what legacy we will leave our children and grandchildren. She wondered where the moderate Muslims are. She said there is a divide between the East and West, and the West can hardly be blamed for viewing the Middle East as a source of terrorism because pretenders have hijacked Islam and committed violence in the name of religion.

The moderate Muslim, Queen Rania said, can help the West understand the Middle East and recognize that we have much to offer to the international community. The West thinks we don’t understand their policies. They are wrong, she said, we do understand - we just don’t agree with those policies. The communication gap between the two worlds must be bridged and we need people who can do it. There needs to be a Queen Rania in every school, in every district, in every city and in every country which can put a moderate face on Islam and the Arab community in general. But the shortcomings of the Jeddah Economic Forum, such as those seen in Sunday’s sessions, is the fact the Queen Ranias of the Arab community can bring us to our feet with hearty applause and even get us a little misty-eyed, but we do not fulfill our obligations to the international community. Certainly there is room in our world for more Queen Ranias. Yet we leave the hall and don’t think about her words but about lunch or some such distraction.

Do we as Arabs and Muslims have the conviction to follow through? I’m not convinced, because it takes a special kind of person, a leader, if you will, to make sure that Queen Rania’s messages are carried to our Arab neighbors as well as to the West.

There must be a review of her words and the words of the wise men and women who have come to Saudi Arabia to offer their thoughts. It’s one thing to call the forum a “think tank” but it’s another to actually implement the words we say.

The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce is solely responsible for this forum. If the forum is to achieve future success and draw the kinds of minds we need to implement solutions to the region’s problems, then we must invite the Ministry of Finance and the Saudi Arabia General Commission for Investment. We must work to put together an effective agenda and then ensure that we follow through with it. We should also consider categorizing participants in their areas of expertise to maximize the sessions’ results. We can do this without diminishing the importance of participants networking on the side to achieve their own goals. Would I be going too far to suggest there be a place where businessmen and women meet to discuss their investment interests away from security guards who play the part of the morality police?

The Supreme Commission of Tourism should also be a main participant in the forum to promote Saudi Arabia and show the best sides of this vast country, especially since attendees are high-profile businessmen and women who can invest and spend in tourism. The commission, however, fails to see the big picture by investing funds in projects that only focus on Arab and Muslim tourists. I would even go so far as to suggest we move the forum from West-friendly Jeddah to our potential tourist destinations such as Abha or Taif, to promote the uniqueness Saudi Arabia has to offer.