- Ms. Anhar Hegazi, Director, Sustainable Development and Productivity Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
- Mr. Abdalla A. Alnajjar, President, Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF)
- Mr. Mohammed Bin Yousef, Director General, Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization, Morocco
- Statement of Mr. Hany Seif El Nasr, Managing Director, Social Fund for Development of Egypt delivered by Mr. Ahmed Nassar, Acting Director General for the Monitoring and Planning Group, Social Fund for Development

The Regional Context
Ms. Carol Chouchani Cherfane, Acting Team Leader, Technology and Enterprise Development Team, Sustainable Development and Productivity Division, ESCWA

Country Presentations
Presentations by the Delegated Representative of the Governments of: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates and Yemen

SESSION II: REGIONAL INITIATIVES

ESCWA Technology Centre for Development
Mr. Yousef Nusseir, Director, Information and Communications Technologies Division, ESCWA

ASTF Investing in Technology Initiative: Past Activities and Future Plans
Mr. Farhan Kalaldeh, Program Manager, Investing in Technology Program, ASTF - Sharjah Headquarters

SESSION III: POLICY FRAMEWORKS FOR HELPING SMES TO HARNESS TECHNOLOGY

National Science and Technology Policies and SME Initiatives
Mr. Samer Sabbagh, Director, National Fund for Enterprise Support, Higher Council for Science and Technology, Jordan

Policy Infrastructure and Technology Profiling in the Euro-Mediterranean Context
Mr. John Yates, Program Manager, Medibtikar: Euro-Med Innovation Program, Egypt

Promoting SME Investment and Technology Development in Developing Countries
Mr. Marco Potecchi, Officer in Charge, UNIDO Investment Promotion Unit Egypt

Entrepreneurship Development & Enterprise Creation Programs
Mr. Afif Barhoumi, Investment Promotion Expert and Arab Regional Center for Entrepreneurship and Investment Training Program Coordinator, UNIDO Bahrain

Sunday, 4 November 2007

Mechanisms and Models for Harnessing Technology in SMEs
Mr. Fouad Mrad, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, American University of Beirut / ESCWA Consultant

Customizing Plastic Products for the World Market
Mr. Khaled Mahjoub, Chairman, Mahjoub Est., Syria

SESSION V: STANDARDS AS INSTRUMENTS FOR MOTIVATING INNOVATION AND ADAPTATION

The Role of Standards in Promoting Innovation and Competitiveness of SMEs in World Markets
Mr. Hassan Charif, Senior Advisor, ESCWA

Certification Schemes as a Means to Improve Product Safety and Competitiveness
Mr. Naji Geha, Coordinator, Inspection Center - Lebanon, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.

SESSION VI: TECHNOLOGY TOOLS FOR IMPROVING SME PRODUCTIVITY

Tools for Competitive Product Development
Mr. Ahmad Smaili, Chairperson, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department,
Haririri Canadian University, Lebanon

Automation to Reach Global Standards
Mr. Hany Loka, Senior Vice President and Head of Automation and Drives, Siemens Limited

Process Control and Quality Assurance Technologies
Mr. Michel Haddad, Managing Director, National Instruments Arabia

Environmental Technologies for Improving SME Productivity
Ms. Hanan El Hadary, Director, Egypt National Cleaner Production Centre, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Egypt