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OECD Assists in Drawing Investment to the Middle East, North Africa
Presentation:
Rainer Geiger, OECD Deputy Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs |
The event took place Thursday, December 1, 2005
8:30 AM Registration - 9.00-10.30 AM Presentation
OECD Washington Center, 2001 L Street NW Suite 650, Washington DC 20036, 202-785-6323
Rainer Geiger, OECD’s Deputy Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs discussed the MENA-OECD Investment Program for enhancing the investment climate and promoting sustainable economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The program is a regional effort developed by MENA countries to stimulate dialogue regarding investment policies and reform among MENA country investment authorities and agencies and their counterparts in the OECD.
In January and February of 2005, the program's Working Groups met for the first time and agreed on recommendations for promoting transparent and open investment policies, developing a tax framework for investment, improving corporate governance, encouraging investment diversification, and encouraging business associations and investment promotion agencies to act as drivers for economic reform. A number of MENA countries have drawn up National Investment Reform Agendas and created Country Economic Teams under the Program. Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco are out in front. These agendas include measurable and time bound targets for reform.
Mr. Geiger reviewed the current progress of the MENA-OECD Investment Program and discussed the next steps to be agreed upon during an upcoming meeting of investment Ministers of the MENA region.
Rainer Geiger is a graduate of the University of Heidelberg in Germany and Columbia Law School in New York, with a PhD and an advanced law degree. His professional career started as Counselor in the Ministries of Economics and Economic Cooperation in Germany; Secretary of the Finance Commission of the Conference on International Economic Co-operation in Paris. In 1977, he joined the OECD in Paris where he has held various posts and is currently the Deputy Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs and Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme. Mr. Geiger is Chairman of the Executive Board of the Centre for Private Sector Development in Istanbul, Turkey, Co-Chair of the Investment Compact Stability Pact for South East Europe and Head of the Middle East/North Africa OECD Initiative. He is an Associate Professor for international economic law at the University Paris I, Pantheon-Sorbonne. He has published numerous articles on international economic law issues. He is fluent in German, English, French and Spanish. He is a member of the German American Lawyers Association and the French Society of International Law.
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