Australian Business International Trade Services, the international arm of the NSW Business Chamber, will play host to 19 young Arabic business leaders.
Participating in the Council for Australian-Arab Relations’ (CAAR) professional exchange program, the young business leaders are due to arrive early next month, before the program launch on November 20.
The program, established in 2004, will draw participants from a number of nations in the Arabic speaking world, including Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Participants are chosen through a competitive selection process, including written applications and a round of interviews. It is the first time in the program’s four-year history that a group of this size has visited Australia, with participants from fields ranging from engineering to journalism, government, construction and agribusiness.
Encouraging positive business and cultural relations between Australia and the Arab world, some of the activities the participants will take part in include work placement with an Australian company, as well as briefings on foreign policy, trade investments and business culture.
"This program offers great strategic value for Australia" says Dr Glen Simpson, chairman of CAAR. "There are two critical relationships that Australia has to manage over the coming decades. The first is Australia’s relationship with our largest trading partner, China. The second is our relationship with the Arab world."
Trade between Australia and the countries of the Arab League accounts for $9 billion a year.
For more information, call the NSW Business Chamber: 13 26 96
