On the eve of the Supporting Syria and the Region conference, the EBRD is hosting an associated event dedicated to enhancing the private sector’s role in supporting refugee-hosting communities and strengthening the resilience of local economies.
The half-day conference, to be held at the EBRD’s headquarters in London on 3 February, will be an opportunity for the private sector, civil society, officials from central governments and municipalities, MDBs and donors to pool ideas and plan further action to address these pressing issues.
The event will focus on the EBRD countries of operations most affected by the current crisis.
As well as highlighting the role of the private sector, the conference will facilitate dialogue between interested stakeholders and identify best practices in securing livelihoods for those affected and fostering commercialised partnerships to improve services and infrastructure.
The afternoon event, which will run from 13.00 to 18.00, will feature:
- presentations by official representatives of those countries most affected by the influx of refugees from the war in Syria.
- a session exploring the opportunities for and obstacles to creating employment and promoting entrepreneurship in the affected communities.
- a session to look at sustainable and market-friendly approaches to upgrading municipal infrastructure.
Follow this event on Twitter: #EBRDsupport.
Agenda for EBRD Hosted Event “Enabling the Private Sector to Support Refugee-Hosting Communities”
13:00-13:15 Opening Remarks by Sir Suma Chakrabarti, EBRD President
13:15-14:00 Session 1: Addresses by official representatives of the most affected countries
Chair/Moderator: Jonathan Charles, Managing Director, Communications, EBRD
Senior officials from Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon will outline their approaches to engaging with the private sector as part of their national refugee integration policies.
- Imad Fakhoury, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Jordan
- Muhammed Murtaza Yetiş, Prime Minister's Chief Advisor responsible for Refugees and Humanitarian Aid, Turkey
- Elias Bou-Saab, Minister of Education, Lebanon
14:15-15:45 Session 2: Employment and Entrepreneurship
This session analyses opportunities and obstacles for the employment of refugees (including problems with legal work permits and the prevalence of informal employment) across a variety of sectors and types of enterprises. It also focusses on small business support initiatives for refugees and their host communities, including ways to enhance access to financial services and to finance, as well as facilitating access to livelihoods through skills mapping and skills verification and private-sector apprenticeships.
Chair: Jean-Patrick Marquet, Director, Head of Turkey, EBRD
Speakers: Dina J. Khayyat, Managing Director of Ad-Dulay Qualified Industrial Zone and Chairman of the Jordanian Garment and Textile association, Jordan
Timur Kaymaz, TEPAV, Turkey
Charlotte Ruhe, Director, Head of SME Finance and Development, EBRD
Charbel Habib, CEO Zerock, Lebanon
Laurie Lee, CEO, CARE International UK
15:45-16:15 Coffee Break
16:15-17:30 Session 3: Commercialised Approach to the Municipal Resilience Agenda
This session explores strategies for putting in place a sustainable and market-friendly approach to upgrading municipal infrastructure, including with the private sector in order to meet the medium and long-term needs of host communities.
Chair: Heike Harmgart, Head of EBRD Jordan
Speakers: Akel al Biltaji, Mayor of Amman, Jordan
Hasan Kara, Mayor of Kilis Municipality, Turkey
Khalil Gebara, Senior Advisor to the Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities
Tarek Zuriekat, CEO Engicon, Jordan
Murat Erdogan, Head of the Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies, Hacettepe University, Turkey
17:30 - 18:00 Concluding Session: Strategies for Enabling Private-Sector Solutions for Refugee-Affected Communities
Chair: Alan Rousso, Managing Director External Relations and Partnerships, EBRD
This session provides an opportunity for a general discussion among national officials, businessmen, bankers, investors, donors, international organisations and MDBs on the ways to facilitate the involvement of the private sector in enhancing economic opportunities and improving living conditions for the refugee-hosting communities in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
18:00- 19:00 Networking Reception
All media inquiries should be directed to Nibal Zgheib and Olga Rosca
