Speech delivered by President Mohamed Choucair on the occasion of his election as President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon
Dear friends and colleagues,
I thank you for all the confidence you have vested in me by entrusting me with the presidency of the Chamber. I hold this trust very dearly and I will spare no effort to preserve it by cooperating with you and with our colleagues in all chambers and economic organizations.
May the Almighty guide our steps in assuming the responsibility of making the Chamber, in words and deeds, a home for the Lebanese economy and a true reference to its members. We pledge to uphold our members' rights and demands and act as an honest defender of these rights and demands vis-à-vis officials. This requires consolidating a constructive partnership between a responsible public sector and an active private sector. |
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The road ahead of us is arduous and difficult, and the challenges are many and varied, but we believe that through our cooperation we will be able to overcome many of these difficulties and challenges, and to accomplish the momentous task of strengthening and developing our economy and opening it to the Arab world and to our economic partners.
With our Board of Directors reaching full membership, the period of work and productivity has begun. "Our Economy is Our Guarantee" has become the Chamber's action plan. We do realize, however, that planning is an ongoing process.
We live in an environment replete with challenges and risks, which requires profound awareness and realistic planning so as to keep abreast of all contingencies and avoid the pitfalls encountered in the past.
We must accomplish all what we have pledged in our economic program, and develop what we should achieve in the service of the Lebanese economy.
Today marks the start of serious work. This Board of Directors represents the business community's aspirations for reforms and renewal based on the fundamental principles that guide the Chamber. Past achievements and work dynamics will be built upon with a view to consolidating the Chamber's strides along the path of progress. The previous Board headed by Mr. Ghazi Kraytem constitutes an important stage along this path.
We shall rely on the vast experience of those Board members who served under the last mandate and who are still with us in the new Board. We shall also rely on the new members, in order to advance the Chamber's role and adapt it to modern requirements.
To the new Board of Directors we chose young and motivated members, ladies and gentlemen renowned for their success in their field of activity and for their will to serve the public good. Allow me in this context to thank the politicians for not interfering in our choices this time around. Their commendable attitude helped bring forth an independent list of Board Members. Lebanon abounds with outstanding competencies in all the economic sectors and I only wish we had a Board of Directors that could accommodate them all.
The Chamber as a home to the national economy
The Chamber includes representatives of all sectors of economic activity, and stands at the same distance from the all sectors. It plays the role of a moderator in conflicts of interest and in sectoral and factional divergences. The importance of this role is highlighted in Lebanon when we realize that opposing interests and differences in points of view impede the government's effort to improve the economic and social conditions. In order to play a constructive role and provide services to members, the new Board's work program includes a plan to establish efficient channels of communication with companies and institutions.
Our Board of Directors will coordinate efforts with the country's representative sectoral associations and syndicates and our work program provides a broad mechanism for cooperation with Chambers of Commerce in the regions, professional associations, and employer representatives.
It is also within our plan of action to establish strong relations with the foreign Chambers and international economic organizations, a strategy we deem important to the private sector in the era of globalization.
It is not an option for Lebanon not to regain its regional and global status and for Beirut not to reclaim its economic and commercial leadership in the region.
In fulfillment of the Chamber's role as a link between the private and the public sectors, the work program defines a set of actions intended to support the interests of the business community. Representatives of each sector would then realize they are partners in decision-making and that their demands and interests are attended to.
The Government of National Consensus headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who closely knows the needs of economic sectors, is an opportunity to develop the national economy after a long period of stagnation that harmed Lebanon and its economy. We will seize this opportunity to pursue projects that promote Lebanon 's interests, but that could not be approved in the past.
We will continue working with the government and exercising the necessary pressure to speed up the study and implementation of what is needed for the development of our economy. The resilience of the Lebanese economy constitutes a safeguard for the nation, hence the importance of rising above narrow interests and the importance to reflect the higher national interest. Let the policy be to serve the national economy and not vice versa.
I would like to assure the business sector that Prime Minister Hariri is extremely attentive to the economy's requirements. We have accompanied him in his visits to Turkey and France and we witnessed his attention to the smallest details and his personal follow-up to everything that could give impetus to our national economy.
Strategy and economic priorities
We have stated in the program the importance of identifying and implementing economic priorities, those that constitute a lever of the economy and propel Lebanon to the rank of emerging/developed countries, able to build up its own capabilities and follow the path of sustainable development.
These priorities aim at breaking the vicious circle resulting from the disparity between the capabilities of the Lebanese youth and employment opportunities available to them in the economic activities present in Lebanon .
Improving investment conditions in Lebanon requires the availability of necessary resources to entrepreneurs to developing existing ventures, and establish of modern ones able to utilize advanced technologies.
Economic issues in the ministerial statement
The program of the Chamber is correlated to the requirements of the ministerial statement concerning growth, sustainable development, public and private employment, investment, economic stability, foreign trade, full employment, and management reform.
Some of the most important measures in that context are: Supporting the productive sectors, strengthening competition, liberalizing telecommunications, improving the investment environment ? particularly simplifying transactions and facilitating the process of establishing and dissolving companies ?, engaging in professional trade agreements, entering WTO, participating in the Neighborhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean, fighting against unemployment, and creating new job opportunities.
I appreciate your confidence, and with you I thank public organizations for their trust. We shall assume our responsibilities to the fullest and hope to meet the expectations placed in us. The national economy deserves from us all effort and sacrifice, so let us join hands in serving the public interest.
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