ICC Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman briefed the press about the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) 2017 on Thursday 26 January. APBF on will be jointly organized by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Bangladesh and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 8-9 February 2017. The Forum will be held under the patronage of the Ministry of Commerce of the Government of Bangladesh. The theme of the 2017 Forum is “Regional Integration to Achieve Sustainable Development” as envisaged by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) is the flagship regional business event organized by 
UNESCAP. The missions of APBF is to provide the best platform for regional public-private dialogue on the role and needs of business in achieving inclusive, resilient and sustainable development. APBF launched in 2004 in Shanghai, China, and has so far attracted over 3,000 participants from business, government, academia and civil society from across the region. Over the course of the last decade, it has helped to form a Pan-Asian multi-stakeholder network and has been hosted in various locations, such as Almaty, Bangkok, Colombo, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Kunming.
APBF is a multi-stakeholder discussion forum held annually with the mission to provide the best platform for regional public-private sector dialogue on the role and needs of business in achieving inclusive, resilient and sustainable development.
DCCI President Abul Kasem Khan, Former BKMEA President Md. Fazlul Hoque and ICC Bangladesh Secretary General Ataur Rahman also spoke at the Press Briefing.
The forthcoming APBF 2017 will be inaugurated by H.E. Md. Abdul Hamid, Hon’ble President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on 8 February.
Other speakers of the Inaugural session are Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP; Mr. Mahbubur Rahman, President, International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh and Chairman ETBL Holdings Limited; Mr. Wencai Zhang, Vice-President (Operations), Asian Development Bank (ADB); Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary General, UNCTAD; H.E. Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand (tbc); H.E. Mr. Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh; H.E. Mr. Tofail Ahmed, M.P., Minister of Commerce, Bangladesh; H.E. Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Minister of Finance, Bangladesh; Dr. Victor K. Fung, Group Chairman, Fung Group, Honorary Chairman, Li & Fung Ltd. and Former Global ICC Chairman & Mr. Latifur Rahman, Vice President ICC Bangladesh.
On 9 February in Plenary Session (at 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.) the speakers are : H.E. Mr. Tofail Ahmed, Minister of Commerce, Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. Romi Gauchan Thakali, Minister for Commerce, Nepal; H.E. Mr. Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Sri Lanka; H.E. Prof. Dr. Gowher Rizvi, Honourable Adviser for International Relation Affairs to the Prime Minister, Bangladesh; H.E. Mr. Lyonpo Lekey Dorji, Minister for Economic Affairs, Government of Bhutan (tbc); H.E. Mr. Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development, Maldives (tbc); Dr. A. B. Mirza Md. Azizul Islam, former Advisor to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh, In-charge of Ministries of Finance and Planning, Bangladesh; Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary General, UNCTAD; Mr. Wencai Zhang, Vice-President (Operations), Asian Development Bank (ADB); Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Michael Yeoh, Chief Executive Officer/Director, Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI); Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, Principal Coordinator, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Affairs. The theme of the Plennary session is Linking Business with the Sustainable Development Goals: What Can We Do?
APBF will hold its substantive Sessions linked to the theme of “Promoting Trade and Investment for the Successful Implementation of SDGs” on the following topics: Resilience: Role of Business in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation; New Energy Realities: Building a Resilient and Low-carbon Future and Supporting Trade; Transport Facilities for Regional Integration; Supporting SDGs through Digital Financial Models by Inclusive Business and Supporting and Empowering Disadvantaged MSMEs to Become More Competitive and Sustainable.
By this time we have received confirmation from Minister for Industry, Trade &Tourism, Fiji; H.E. Ms. Khemmani Pholsena, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Lao PDR; Mr. Wencai Zhang, Vice-President (Operations), Asian Development Bank (ADB); Mr. Yassin S. Al-Suroor, Chairman, ICC Saudi Arabia; Prof. Naoyuki Yoshino, Dean, Asian Development Bank Institute; Mr. Philip Kucharski, Chief Operating Officer, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC); Mr. Raymond Yee, Vice President, DHL Express Singapore Pte. Ltd; Prof. Barbara Meynert, Director & Advisor, Li and Fung Group; Mr. Suresh Balakrishnan, UNCDF Representative.
This is the first time Bangladesh is a host country to organize APBF.
