English - unctad xiii

DOHA, QATAR, 19 APRIL 2012
OPENING STATEMENT
By
H.E. Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari
Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar and
Chairman of the Global Services Forum

Global Services Forum
"Services, trade, and inclusive and sustainable development"
19 April 2012, Doha, Qatar
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to welcome all of you to this Global Services
Forum, entitled "Services, trade, and inclusive and sustainable development". I would
like to pay special tribute to Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of
UNCTAD, and his team, as well as partner organizations (particularly Talal Abu-
Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) and the Commonwealth Secretariat) for taking this
important initiative to bring us all together today for this Forum.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is worth recalling that this Forum is unique in nature and the first of this sort
in the history of international cooperation and partnership. There is no comparable
intergovernmental forum on services on a global scale that brings together as wide a
range of stakeholders as this Forum has done.
It is also significant that this Forum marks the very first major pre-Conference
event that will pave the way for the official opening of UNCTAD XIII the day after
tomorrow, which Qatar has the honour to host next week.
This background and setting gives the Forum a special character that enables it
to draw the attention of the international community to the development and trade
potential of a services economy. The Forum also draws attention to associated policy,
regulatory and institutional challenges in harnessing such potential for inclusive and
sustainable development facing policy makers, regulators and businesses today.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It goes without saying that the services sector has gained increased importance
over the last decade, especially in the aftermath of the global financial and economic
crisis. The sector is essential to greater efficiency and competitiveness in any
economy, as services are essential inputs to many other products and economic
components. Infrastructure and essential services, such as energy, education, health,
water and housing are key enablers of the achievement of the Millennium
Development Goals.
While the services sector has matured in developed countries, it is a nascent
sector for most developing countries. This is the case also with the Arab region where
services account for just over 40 per cent of GDP. For relatively larger oil-exporting
Gulf economies, including Qatar, the sector represents still only 30-50 per cent of the
economy.
Several developing countries have been successful in reaping sizable
developmental benefits from services trade by exploiting areas such as the movement
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of natural persons, outsourcing of ICT-enabled business services, construction and
tourism. Among the Arab countries, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco rely on
services for over 40 per cent of their total exports while a few countries have become
important players in certain services, such as Egypt in transport and tourism, and
Kuwait in communication services.
Most Gulf countries, on account of their large oil exports, have a very low
reliance on services exports (in the range of 3-10 per cent), which represents a
challenge for our economies. However, we are also witnessing the emergence of
world class service industries and firms in the region, such as in the areas of marine
terminal operations and development, logistics, communication and financial services.
As a vibrant service sector represents a formidable opportunity for economic
diversification, employment creation and greater competitiveness, the sector is a
“must” for any country wishing to attain incisive and sustained growth to build
effective regulatory and institutional frameworks on services. Services also represent
the future for youth and women in the Arab world. International and regional trade
cooperation and integration also play a key role.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are here today in our capacities as governmental leaders, business leaders,
regulators, practitioners, civil society and other stakeholders. We share a common
stake in a healthy and prosperous services economy and trade. As such, we have the
responsibility to promote economic and regulatory conditions necessary to make
services economies and trade effective instruments for inclusive development and
poverty eradication.
Therefore, it is my hope that this Forum will provide us with an opportunity to
reflect on challenges and opportunities facing the services industries, to engage in an
exchange of experiences and lessons learned in our search for best practices, and to
consider options for future actions and partnership in order to respond to the
challenges posed upon these industries in the 21st century.
One of the concrete outcomes of the Forum will be to expand our networks
and partnerships among our governments, organizations and businesses, and place our
cooperation on a lasting foothold. Therefore, building on this success, I would suggest
institutionalizing the Global Services Forum so that we can all meet regularly.
I strongly encourage the establishment of an Arab Coalition of Services
Industries to increase production and exports of services in the region. As you may be
aware, an effective and cooperative structure among services industries, firms, and
national services associations in the region is yet to be fully developed, despite its
vibrant services economy. Such a regional institutional framework will be useful not
only in promoting our cooperation within and beyond the region but also in
showcasing to the world the importance attached to services by the region.
I wish you all a great success in your deliberations.
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