Jordanians questioning the value of hosting World Economic Forum
Earlier this month, Jordan hosted the World Economic Forum for the 10th time, but a number of analysts charge that the gatherings have not produced any tangible economic results for the kingdom.
For years, Jordanians have been accustomed to seeing placards and posters along the highway to the airport and the road to the Dead Sea resorts welcoming guests to a meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East and North Africa. Since 2003, Jordan has hosted the event 10 of the 17 times it has been held in the region.
Bringing the WEF to Jordan was originally seen as an opportunity to showcase the kingdom’s economic potential to world leaders, politicians, businesspeople, innovators and academics and to attract foreign investment. King Abdullah II worked hard on getting the WEF to the kingdom, making use of his ties to Klaus Schwab, the organization’s founder.
Abdullah opened this year’s WEF on April 6. More than 1,000 visitors, including top government officials and leaders and company CEOs, took part in the two-day conference. “Building New Platforms of Cooperation” was the main theme of the gathering.
According to the Jordan Times, “The event focused on four transformational imperatives: shaping a new economic and social model for the region, environmental stewardship in the Arab world, finding common ground in a multi-conceptual world and the fourth industrial revolution in the Arab world.”
