Press release

G8 Deauville Partnership Investment Conference

As part of the UK's G8 Presidency, Britain hosted the G8 Deauville Partnership Investment Conference in London on Monday, 16 September, 2013

• From: Foreign & Commonwealth Office and The Rt Hon Alistair Burt
• Published: 9 July 2013
• Last updated: 13 September 2013 — See all updates

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The UK Presidency of the G8, in association with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development and the Islamic Development Bank, held a Deauville Partnership Investment Conference in London on Monday, 16th September, at the Park Plaza Hotel, Victoria.

The conference brought together ministers, business leaders, investors and senior government officials from across the G8, the Arab Countries in Transition across the Middle East and North Africa (Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen) and Deauville regional partners (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Turkey), as well as the major International Financial Institutions. In total, over 500 delegates attended.

Overcoming barriers to investment was at the centre of this initiative. Transition countries set out opportunities for investment and presented the steps they are taking to attract and support investors.

In addition, ministers from the UK, senior private sector representatives and experts from major institutions such as the IMF, OECD and World Bank participated in discussions and focused panel sessions on the challenges to attracting greater investment and how these might be overcome.

Existing and potential investors were also able to share experiences and build relationships with country representatives, experts and each other.

G8 Deauville Partnership Investment Conference

The event:

• Provided networking opportunities between companies from the Arab Countries in transition and those across the G8 and Deauville regional partners (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Turkey), as well as networking with IFIs, with a focus on supporting new investors.
• Included sector-focused panel discussions, facilitating discussions between investors, governments and the IFIs about challenges and policy barriers to attracting greater investment, providing meeting rooms to facilitate one-to-one discussions.
• Included sessions covering Managing Investment Risks in Arab Countries in Transition and Seizing Local Opportunities: Skills and Suppliers.
• Provided a platform for Arab countries in transition to showcase foreign direct investment opportunities (including through country investment promotion exhibition stands) and the action their governments are taking to improve their investment climate.
• Provided opportunities for one-to-one discussions between participants, speakers and government officials.

The conference helped to contribute to the Deauville Partnership’s long-term goal of generating job creation and prosperity for the people of the Arab Countries in Transition. Events in the region underline the importance of making progress in this area. One example of the support the Deauville Partnership is providing is the Transition Fund which provides technical assistance for Arab countries undertaking economic reforms.One example of the support the Deauville Partnership is providing is the Transition Fund which provides technical assistance for Arab countries undertaking economic reforms. In his speech, Department for International Development Minister of State Alan Duncan announced a doubling of the UK’s contribution to the Transition Fund to £32 million.

The Deauville Partnership is a major opportunity for the G8 to help tens of millions of people. As speakers at the conference underlined, it is not just about investment today but about investment in the future.

Further information

For any general enquiries about this event, please contact deauvillepartnership@cvg.gov.uk

Follow @ArabPartnership and @AlistairBurtFCO

G8 Deauville Partnership Investment Conference programme (PDF, 529 KB, 2 pages)

Find out more about the G8 Deauville Partnership

Read Department for International Development Minister of State Alan Duncan’s speech from the Deauville Partnership Investment Conference

Alan Duncan speech at Deauville Partnership Investment Conference

PDF, 88.8 KB, 6 pages

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Find out more about information on the G8 Deauville Partnership with Arab countries in transition

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Published 9 July 2013
Last updated 13 September 2013 + show all updates

1. 13 September 2013

   Added in video

2. 12 September 2013

   Update on conference activities.

3. 9 July 2013

   First published.