Mancham to attend high level meetings in Qatar and Indonesia |04 April 2013

Former President James Mancham is to attend the 8th World Chambers Congress in Doha, Qatar later this month and to take part in the general assembly of CAPDI (Centrist Asia Pacific Democrats International) in Sulawesi, Indonesia in May.

A press release from his Glacis-sur-Mer residence said that Mr Mancham has been invited at the April 22-25 Doha meet by the US Arab Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce, the ICC World Chambers Federation and the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Held every two years in a different region of the world, the congress is the only international forum for chamber and business leaders to share best practiced experiences, exchange insights, develop networks, address the latest business issues affecting their communities and learn about new areas of innovation from chambers around the world.  

Mr Mancham will hand carry a letter from Marco Francis, the newly elected chairman of the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), expressing the interest of his chamber to become associated with the chambers hosting the congress.  

Following his participation in the congress in Doha, Mr Mancham is to take part in the second general assembly of the CAPDI in his capacity as vice-president and a member of the governing council of the organisation. This conference will be held in Makassar, South Sulawesi Indonesia from May 20-21, 2013 under the theme ‘Mobilising governments, political parties and civil societies to promote peace and reconciliation and to fight climate change in Asia’.

CAPDI is perhaps the first organisation in the Asia Pacific bringing together political parties and key institutions of democratic civil society, people’s organisations, think-tanks, inter-faith organisations, business leaders and youth associations under one roof in a common house with the objectives of promoting good governance and fighting corruption and poverty; the empowerment of youth, women and minority groups; the protection of human rights and the strengthening of democracy, the rule of law; and the fight against climate change and environmental degradation.  

Two Nobel peace prize laureates, former President José Ramos Horta of East Timor and former Prime Minister Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi of Myanmar, have recently joined CAPDI’s Council of Eminent Persons.

The invitation for Mr Mancham to take part was extended by José de Venecia, President of CAPDI, former Speaker of the House of the Philippines; Sok An, senior vice-president of CAPDI who is deputy prime minister in the Royal Government of Cambodia; Jusuf Kalla, chairman of CAPDI, former vice-president of Indonesia and Mushahid Hussan Sayed, secretary general of CAPDI of Islamabad, Pakistan.
 
Mr Mancham has said that his active participation in CAPDI reflects Seychelles’ growing appreciation of its Asian dimension in line with the declared interest of the government of President James Michel to seek a seat on the security council of the United Nations.