Nahost Initiative
Annually, between 2003 and 2008, the Wittenberg Center hosted business representatives from Israel and Jordan aiming at transnational business opportunities and cooperative ventures. Under the motto "From trade to peace" the five-days Joint Economic Forums sought to support the limited political scope of action in the Middle East peace process by the power of private business. The central concern was to evaluate the situation of private sector activities, to foster transnational cooperation and to boost cross border trade and investment.
The eight business forums were organized by the Peres Center of Peace - founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres - in cooperation with the Jordanian Amman Center for Peace and Development, lead by General (ret.) Mansur Abu Rashid. The Daimler group substantially funded the forums and provided input by their represpentatives Josef Schleicher and Godel Rosenberg. The Wittenberg Center as the fair mediator with a specific business ethics approach led the participants search for win-win options and conditions of cooperation to mutual advantage.
The forum in 2003 was the first business to business meeting in Israeli-Jordan relationship and built trust among the participants and institutions. Successive events focussed on specific branches with high cooperation potential: trade, tourism, information technology, water technology and renewable energy. Several ideas and business plans were discussed in Wittenberg, followed by meetings, cooperations projects and joint ventures in the Middle East. The personal trust established among the participants was strong enough to endure recent political setbacks in the region.
6. Forum on Economic Co-Operation: Alternativ Energy in the Middle East., 13. - 17. Juli 2008
5. Forum on Economic Co-Operation: Water Technologies Cooperation, 15. - 19. Juli 2007
4. Forum on Economic Co-Operation: IT and Internet in the Middle East, 16. - 20. Juli 2006
3. Forum on Economic Co-Operation "Tourism in the Middle East", Juli 2005
2. Forum on Economic Co-Operation 2004
1. Forum on Economic Co-Operation - A Jordanian-Israeli Joint Initiative
more...
