The 2019 theme for the annual forum was “The Global Distrust Crisis: Facing Subversion and Uncertainties.”
Tangier – As the 12th annual MEDays International Forum enters its final session, Morocco World News reflects on some of the convention’s highlights.
Since 2008, the Amadeus Institute has organized MEDays in the city of Tanger. The forum takes place under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI. MEDays is one of the main geopolitical and economic events in Africa and the Arabic-speaking world.
150 high-level speakers, including more than 80 government representatives from all five continents, participated in around 30 debates, roundtables, and workshops.
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Hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, and business people attended the four-day forum. Open to the public, MEDays welcomes up to 4,500 participants each year.
The main event at MEDays is the official opening ceremony, during which the MEDays grand prize is presented to an esteemed guest of honor. This year, President of Senegal Macky Sall received the grand prize for his contribution to development in the Global South.
MEDays president and founder Brahim Fassi Fihri presented Sall with the Grand Prize on the evening of November 13.
During his acceptance speech, the Senegalese Head of State described his aim to foster an environment of peace, security, and stability in Africa while achieving economic and social development.
Sall described the award as a recognition of his efforts and an encouragement to take on the challenges still faced by Africa.
Sall received the honor in the presence of Mohcine Jazouli, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; Jorge Lopes Bom Jesus, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe; Riyad al Malki, Palestine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs; and Jiarui Wang, chairman of the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation.
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Plenary sessions
MEDays 2019 included six plenary sessions beginning on Thursday, November 14. Each session invited current and former ministers, heads of state, political advisors and analysts, and CEOs from around the world to discuss an array of topics related to economic and social development.
On the first day of plenary sessions, two groups of panelists discussed free trade and debated North-South and South-South cooperation.
Obasanjo Olusegum, former President of Nigeria, attended the ministerial plenary session on November 14. When debating whether African countries should prioritize North-South or South-South partnerships, Obasanjo stated that both avenues of cooperation are equally important.
Two plenary sessions took place on Friday. At the first session, former President of Croatia Ivo Josipovic discussed the rise of populism in Europe with Mihai Răzvan Ungureanu, the former Prime Minister of Romania.
The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Alphonso Brown, participated in a large session on multilateralism. Cyril Svoboda, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, attended the session as well.
Saturday’s first plenary session brought together analysts from Croatia, Russia, the US, Turkey, and China to discuss the current transitions in international relations. The second session invited Middle East experts to debate the “The Deal of the Century of the Hold-up of the Century?”
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Key outcomes
MEDays 2019 draws a vibrant community of experts, political figureheads, and business leaders from around the world.
Not only do business owners and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to network and meet with investors and clients, but policy-makers are also able to forge connections, exchange ideas, and foster partnerships.
By analyzing threats to global growth, the dynamism of international trade, security challenges, and the complexities of North-South politics and civil society movements, MEDays 2019 invites experts and non-experts alike to engage in much-needed dialogue.
With the principal aim of contributing to the development of countries of the Global South and improving North-South and South-South relations, the MEDays 2019 international forum presents new avenues of reflection on international developments.
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