Issue 3 April – June 2018
Contents Capacity Building Program for the Establishment of a non-financial unit at the National Bank of Egypt ........................................................................................................................................... 3 UNIDO presents the “Health and Wellness Program” at the 1st Arab Sports Forum – The Role of Sports in Achieving SDGs organized by Ministry of Youth and Sports ............................................. 3 Innovation Management Forum – Innovation for GCC Social Economic Development .................... 4 UNIDO Day “Belt and Road Cross-border Cooperation Forum” held as part of the China-Shanghai International Technology Fair 2018 .............................................................................................. 4 Capacity Building Program and Launch of the Shenzhen EDIP Centre ............................................. 5 Vienna Energy Forum Special Session 2018 ................................................................................... 6 The Official Opening of the Perfectly Pressed Production Facility .................................................. 6 UNIDO ITPO Heads’ Meeting held in Tokyo ................................................................................... 7 UN Forum on Financing for Development ..................................................................................... 8 TheEntrepreneurs EID Pop-Up Bazaar ........................................................................................... 8 Upcoming Events: ........................................................................................................................ 9 Perfectly Pressed: Saniya Abdulaal ............................................................................................ 10 2
Capacity Building Program for the Establishment of a non-financial unit at the National Bank of Egypt 1st – 5th April Egypt In an effort through to achieve the SDGs entrepreneurship Innovation through linking nonfinancial to financial services, ITPO Bahrain organized in cooperation with the Central Bank of Egypt and the Egyptian Centre for Economic Studies a training of trainers program in Egypt from April 1st to 5thinclusive to 27 credit officers and branch managers of the National Bank of Egypt and representatives from the central bank of Egypt. As an outcome of the training an entrepreneurship development strategy was developed. Currently we are in the process of planning another ToT targeting 25 additional credit officers and branch managers. and UNIDO presents the “Health and Wellness Program” at the 1st Arab Sports Forum – The Role of Sports in Achieving SDGs organized by Ministry of Youth and Sports 10th – 11th April Art Rotana Hotel, Amwaj Island, Bahrain The Minister of Water and Electricity Affairs (EWA) met with the Head of ITPO Bahrain to discuss ways in which they can work together to increase the use of renewable energy in both residential and commercial buildings. As one of many other efforts, ITPO Bahrain suggested to provide training to all those who wish to establish businesses in related areas. The two sides hope the collaboration will increase over time. 3
Innovation Management Forum – Innovation for GCC Social Economic Development 9th - 10th April Arabian Gulf University, Bahrain Inspired by Arabian Gulf University’s innovation strategy for 2017 – 2021, the 2018 Innovation Management Forum addressed issues on innovation and sustainable development. Innovation plays a critical role in the future of nations, and the capacity to sustain innovation is a defining factor in ensuring economic, political and social competitiveness and progress. The forum aimed community engaged practice and to foster a in innovative policy by bringing together key partners, policy makers and students to identify, define and help harness the capacity for the GCC to innovate in the future. The successful 2-day event saw experts discuss topics related to biotechnology and innovative research, innovation in health and education, as well as the development of artificial data Innovation and context intelligence. Chairman Technology Management, Dr Odeh Al-Jayyousi, said that the forum fell within the of transformations witnessed the economic by the Arabian Gulf community for Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify sources of income by steering economies away from oil towards innovation and technology. UNIDO Day “Belt and Road Cross-border Cooperation Forum” held as part of the China-Shanghai International Technology Fair 2018 20th April Shanghai, China The 6th China-Shanghai and Road Technology Fair played host “Belt International to the Cross-border Cooperation Forum” which was held on UNIDO Day, the 20th of April. The forum was hosted by UNIDO, in hubs, and of partnership with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, and the UNIDO China Chapter Office of the Green Industry Platform. In attendance was Director General Li Yong, of UNIDO, who highlighted the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative in the promotion of cross-border participating countries. revenue and pushing them investment amongst 4
The 4-day program equipped and developed the skills of the 28 participants on the means of developing well-structured entrepreneurship and innovation services and has initiated the drafting of a national strategy for Shenzhen. On April 22nd, a ceremony was held announcing the soft launch of Enterprise Development entrepreneurship the and Investment Promotion (EDIP) Centre in Shenzhen; during which Mr. Chen Daixing, member of the Shenzhen municipal committee of the Capacity Building Program and Launch of the Shenzhen EDIP Centre 22nd April Shenzhen, China UNIDO ITPO Bahrain, Road Cities Entrepreneurs under the banner of the Maritime Continental Silk Alliance, and Alliance and in cooperation with the Shenzhen Federation of Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion and the Galaxy Holding Group has successfully completed the special capacity building & program towards the institutionalization of an Entrepreneurship Innovation Program in Shenzhen, from April 22nd to 25th, based on the ITPO Bahrain “Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion Program-EDIP”. 5 Communist Youth League stated, “The launching of the EDIP Centre comes in line with the talks held in September of 2013 between His Majesty King Hamad and aimed at Shenzhen deepening President Xi Jinping, the friendly relations and economic partnerships between Bahrain and China”. EDIP Centre is in an excellent position to instil and unleash entrepreneurship and innovation, both locally and regionally and will serve as a platform for network of investments. the countries to develop technology transfer entrepreneurs in 52 partnerships, joint and The ITPO Bahrain
Mirza, Minister of Electricity and Water Affairs, and Dr.Hashim Hussein, Head of UNIDO ITPO Bahrain, and included plenaries and high-level round table discussions with over 430 government and institutional leaders. His Excellency, Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza described Bahrain faces as a small limited natural the challenges island with resources and the creation of a government think tank to encourage investment energy. He emphasized Vision 2030, which seeks to facilitate private sector investment in renewable energy. Vienna Energy Forum Special Session 2018 13th – 16th May Vienna International Centre, Vienna Organised under the auspices of the UN Industrial Integration and Development Organization (UNIDO), Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Foreign Affairs (BMEIA), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the special session of the Vienna Energy Forum broke from its traditional bi-annual cycle to provide a formal review of the 7th Sustainable Development Goal on Energy prior to the High-Level Political Forum taking place in New York in July. The forum was attended by His Excellency, Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali 6 The Official Opening of the Perfectly Pressed Production Facility 23rd May Bahrain Business Incubator Centre, Manama, Bahrain UNIDO ITPO Bahrain is pleased to announce the official opening of the Perfectly Pressed production facility. Under the patronage of Mrs. Afnan Al Zayani, the event was held at the Bahrain Business Incubator Centre in cooperation with the Arab in renewable Bahrain’s
International Centre for Entrepreneurship & Investment in the theme “Health and Wellness”. A successful graduate Bahraini of our owned and operated healthy juice factory, its CEO and co-founder Ms. Saniya Abdulaal, is a Development & from Mrs Al Enterprise Investment Promotions (EDIP) Program. Key note speeches Zayani on “Women in Industry & Healthy Ramadhan Nutrition” and Dr Hashim Hussein on the AICEI’s Health & Wellness strategy, emphasised importance of entrepreneurship in driving economic empowerment and growth, female impactful investment. Ms Abdulaal also treated attendees to samples of her juices and a tour of the Perfectly Pressed facility situated within the BBIC. the UNIDO ITPO Heads’ Meeting held in Tokyo 4th – 5th June Tokyo, Japan The annual UNIDO ITPO Head’s meeting was a two-day session used to discuss the ITPO network’s past accomplishments and future strategies in relation to substantive programs, operations and publicity. 7
Dr. Hashim Hussein, Head of UNIDO ITPO Bahrain, attended along with the heads of the 7 other global offices to discuss and further strengthen the UNIDO ITPO mandate of inclusive and sustainable economic through foreign direct development investments, technology promotion, and capacity building. UN Forum on Financing for Development 11th June New York A recent place Banks exchange of letters took between the Arab Union of and UNIDO ITPO Bahrain, towards promoting entrepreneurship and SME’s through linking financial and non-financial services. The collaboration lead to the development of a concept note that was delivered in a high level meeting on “Financing for Development” by the 72nd President of the United Nations General Assembly on the 11th of June, at the United Nations headquarters in New York. TheEntrepreneurs EID PopUp Bazaar 16th – 17th June Galleria Mall, Bahrain The Entrepreneurs Eid Pop-up Bazaar took place on the second and third evenings of Eid at Bahrain’s exclusive Galleria Mall provided in New Zinj. The event an opportunity for local entrepreneurs to showcase their products ranging from fashion, food, traditional crafts, floral décor and accessories, to special entertainment for children. Dr. Hashim Hussein, Head of the UNIDO-ITPO in Bahrain said, “We have many creative and successful entrepreneurs– this Eid Pop-Up Bazaar platform at Galleria Mall will give them a great retail space to market their finished goods.” with the festival mood, provided keeping Galleria Mall 8 numerous In
family-fun activities, including a bouncy castle, a balloon twister, henna and face painting. Upcoming Events: Positive Role of Youth in Coping with Future Challenges” A press conference was held at the launch of the Shenzhen EDIP Centre and attended by Mr. Yueren Zhu, Vice Minister of Liaison and United Front Work Department of Shenzhen Communist Youth League; naming Dr. Hashim Hussein as vice chairman of the 2nd Shenzhen Youth International Conference and ITPO Bahrain as a coorganizer of the Conference. The conference will be held on August 12 to 14th, under the theme “Positive Role of Youth in Coping with Future Challenges”. Hence; we expect the participation of youth, entrepreneurs, innovators, students, financial universities, entrepreneurship support agencies, as well as exchange and non-financial institutions. This Conference will serve as an international platform for youth from around the world, and facilitate sharing of experiences and communication among them to 9
address future challenges and trends in the world, there positive role in achieving by playing a the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 through Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the means of creating synergies and educational institutions. upcoming summit are representatives from Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) – Switzerland, Trade Mark East Africa, WEConnect linkages with Bahrain, ITC, UNCTAD, WTO, Parsons School of Design- USA, Simdi Group of Companies- Maldives, and SCHS Asia- China. India, UNIDO International Women Entrepreneurs Summit Kathmandu, Nepal South Asian Women Development Forum is organizing the International Women Entrepreneurs Summit- 2018; with the theme “Equality begins with Economic Empowerment” scheduled for 3rd to 5th September in Kathmandu, Nepal. The main goal of the summit is to bring together women business professionals, providers, resource international and achievers, leaders, service organizations, relevant sectoral experts, government representatives other stakeholders from various fields, with a focus on innovative economic transformation through cutting- edge discussions and collaborations. The summit will be participated by delegates from the People’s Republic of China, SAARC, ASEAN, EU, African and the Arab regions. The deliberations will be on IT, agriculture, and tourism, focusing on e-trade, trade and gender, to name a few. Some of the speakers for the 10 Perfectly Pressed: Saniya Abdulaal Saniya Abdulaal is a Bahraini born and raised entrepreneur with a passion for food and art who turned her passion into a business when she co-Founded Perfectly Pressed; a local distribution company with an aim to help Bahrainis lead food healthier and happier lives. The business idea began with a health issue relating to dairy sensitivity, leading her to find other healthy alternatives as well as nondairy alternatives. She entrepreneurial started journey she launched perfectly her long before pressed, by taking gradual, well thought of steps. She joined the EDIP in 2014 when her business was merely a concept. The program provided her with an overview of all the elements involved in starting a business in Bahrain, and by learning about and the vast support structures designed to help entrepreneurs such as herself, Saniya gained enough confidence to take it a step further.
about the need to integrate healthier alternatives to daily routines. “The key to success is found through Consistency, diligence and hard work” Once her entrepreneurial mindset has been solidified, she embarked on a journey within and beyond Bahrain to work on establishing other aspects of the business. She travelled to the USA and Asia, where she took raw food preparation courses and tried out several detox programs to gain more inspiration. She also happened to meet her business partner during that time and finally, launched perfectly pressed in 2016. According to Saniya, “the key to success is found through Consistency, diligence and hard work”. She also advises those planning on embarking on an entrepreneurial journey to “to keep an open mind and understand that every step is a learning experience, nothing happens overnight so be patient and always seek mentors and industry professionals”. Creating awareness about the benefits of available and equally delicious healthier options and alternatives to the Bahraini market has been the biggest challenge, thus far. However, Saniya is growing determined and to increasing continue awareness 11
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