Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - At the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), slated for May 19-21 at the Dead Sea, decision makers are expected to discuss means to support Jordan in shouldering the refugee burden and working towards regional peace and stability, according to a senior official.

Speaking at the WEF meeting in Davos, which opened on January 17 and concluded on Friday, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Imad Fakhoury on Friday said preparations are under way for hosting the meeting on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea.

During the forum’s sessions in Switzerland, Fakhoury highlighted the importance of supporting Jordan and taking advantage of its investment climate to bolster its reform efforts and measures to adopt an economy based on competitiveness.

Several world leaders and experts in the fields of finance, business, media, civil society and academia participated in the WEF 2017 in Davos, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on Saturday.

A total of 3,000 leaders and senior politicians, media representatives and businesspeople took part in the forum to discuss economic crises in the world, the statement added.

Fakhoury participated in panel discussions on the challenges facing the MENA region, outlining the repercussions of regional developments on Jordan’s economy and the measures being taken to deal with their impact.

He said the WEF meeting that will be held in Jordan will be organised in partnership with the King Abdullah II Fund for Development, and discussions will focus on economic, political, social and cultural issues of interest to the region and the world.

The forum, to be held in Jordan for the ninth time since 2003, is scheduled to focus on geopolitical challenges related to relief and the priority of supporting refugees and host communities, in addition to the subject of “the fourth industrial revolution”.

Fakhoury joined a panel session on reviewing humanitarian action, during which he urged the international community to continue supporting Jordan, calling on the private sector to benefit from the EU deal with Jordan to simplify the rules of origin, to base their investments in development areas around the Kingdom and employ vulnerable Jordanians as well as Syrian refugees.

The minister also highlighted the Kingdom’s role in receiving refugees and the burdens resulting from hosting them, noting that the 1.3 million Syrians in the Kingdom comprise 14 per cent of the population.

The crisis, he added, requires a comprehensive response based on a fair shouldering of burdens.