SPECIAL MISSION

A NEW DAWN FOR EGYPT AND THE U.S

AmCham Egypt Special DoorKnock Mission
Washington, DC
June 22-26, 2009

AmCham Egypt’s newly elected board of governors traveled to Washington, DC for a Special DoorKnock Mission June 22-26, 2009. The AmCham delegation departed Cairo for the US capital on its second journey this year in order to continue AmCham’s active role in the US-Egypt economic dialogue. The Special DoorKnock Mission was smaller in size than the spring mission and met with target policymakers and select friends in Congress, the US administration and influential think tanks working on Middle East economic policy.

US-Egypt developments

Several crucial events affecting AmCham Egypt's mission of promoting strong US-Egypt relations occurred in the three months following AmCham's annual DoorKnock Mission in March. The following developments necessitated AmCham's decision to travel and voice its members' perspectives on the business community in Egypt within the economic discourse:

• May 27, 2009: Egyptian minister of trade and industry Rachid Mohamed Rachid and US trade representative Ron Kirk signed a "United States-Egypt Plan for Strategic Partnership" to promote bilateral economic cooperation. The partnership recognizes that continual economic collaboration is conducive for both countries to create jobs, enhance investment and support sustainable development. The renewed economic partnership supports and reinforces Egypt's economic reform process. Furthermore, it instructs senior officials from both governments to flesh out a framework for trade and investment cooperation within 90 days. Private sector representatives are encouraged to participate in the dialogue. Egypt and the US agreed to create working groups to tackle trade facilitation, trade and services, IPR protection, agricultural trade, environment, labor, infrastructure and clean energy as a starting point for the dialogue.

•June 4, 2009: US president Barack Obama gave his first public address to the Muslim world in a speech at Cairo University. Obama took up the future of economic development and opportunity in the region. On education, he vowed to create exchange programs, increase scholarships for Muslim students in the US and create an online network for dialogue. On economic development, he announced a new corps of business volunteers to partner with Muslim-owned businesses and to host a summit on entrepreneurship. On science and technology, Obama announced the intention to launch a fund to support technological development, open centers of excellence, and appoint science envoys to develop new sources of energy, create green jobs, digitize records, clean water and grow new crops. He also affirmed a new global effort with the Organization of the Islamic Conference to eradicate polio and expand partnerships to promote child and maternal health.

• June 23, 2009: As part of AmCham Egypt's mission of promoting trade and investment between Egypt and the US, AmCham Egypt joined forces with the Business Council for International Understanding, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Virginia Technology Council in hosting a major luncheon event featuring Tarek Kamel, minister of communication and information technology, and Aneesh Chopra, the US president's chief technology officer. Kamel asserted that the luncheon event aimed to respond to Obama's pledges in his speech in Cairo. He affirmed his commitment to a high-level dialogue between the US and Egyptian governments and to creating an ICT working committee.

AmCham’s endeavors

As a vocal representative of the business community in Egypt in the US, AmCham Egypt has been at the forefront of the efforts to support US-Egypt commercial initiatives, positively impacting the exchange between the two countries and helping to make Egypt a more business-friendly environment. AmCham advocates for increased business ties to improve the social and cultural interaction between Americans and Egyptians and bring the two countries closer together. AmCham Egypt pursued the following goals during its Special DoorKnock Mission: .
AmCham Egypt pursued the following goals during its Special DoorKnock Mission:

• Informing policymakers on the new US-Egypt Plan for Strategic Partnership signed by Rachid and Kirk. The partnership set out an agenda modeled around each working group. AmCham engaged policymakers regarding the relevant issues and recommitted to its role in helping develop and influence how the issues impact the business community. AmCham also promoted Egypt as a primary regional hub for services and exports

• Restating to policymakers that while the global economic crisis plays out on the world stage, trade and investment between countries keep economies running, help create jobs, and grow small and medium-sized enterprises. AmCham highlighted the success of American companies operating in Egypt and the benefits of Egyptian companies working in the US. It also encouraged policymakers to resist adopting protectionist measures and to seek new bilateral commercial avenues.

• Supporting Obama's pledges pertaining to new partnerships on education, economic development, and science and technology. AmCham reaffirmed its commitment to champion new initiatives in these areas. It also worked to enhance and sustain the private sector's active participation in the dialogue as well as to implement programs in the future.

• Illustrating the local impact of sustained US economic support for Egypt's development and the implications on the economy for decreasing foreign assistance. Both countries have benefited over the years from US assistance in terms of trade facilitation and market development.

Highlights

AmCham Egypt had the honor of meeting and exchanging ideas with the new US secretary of commerce, Gary Locke, while in Washington. The secretary affirmed how important AmCham Egypt has been to US-Egypt commercial linkages over the years through its advocacy on behalf of the business community in Egypt. He noted that more trade and cultural interaction between the two countries would help solidify the economic and social partnership. He expressed his support for deepening trade in both directions. The secretary was pleased to learn that the US-Egypt Business Forum is under formation. AmCham Egypt was furthermore praised for its role in strengthening its relations with other AmChams in the MENA region.

Overall, AmCham Egypt's Special DoorKnock Mission was successful in that it initiated a fresh dialogue with Locke and his senior staff. Despite competing local issues in Congress such as economic recovery, healthcare reform and climate change policy, policymakers expressed that AmCham's continued economic dialogue is received well in DC and is in fact encouraged. As Obama makes strides to bring together the Muslim and Arab world with the US, there is broad support between both the Democratic and Republican parties to move forward to deepen mutual understanding. AmCham learned that there is support across the branches of government for new trade agreements and initiatives down the road when the economy shows signs of recovery. Congress and the administration praised AmCham Egypt for its leadership role in the Middle East.

SPECIAL LUNCHEON
CONNECTING THE US AND EGYPT FOR A POWERFUL ICT PARTNERSHIP

AmCham Egypt hosted a special luncheon event on June 23 in Washington, DC with guest speakers Tarek Kamel, Egyptian minister of communications and information technology; Aneesh Chopra, US chief technology officer in the Office of the US President; and Richard Patterson, vice president for global delivery at IBM. Vinton Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google, gave a concluding message. The luncheon event addressed the topic "Together towards a better tomorrow" and was organized in conjunction with the Business Council for International Understanding and the US Chamber of Commerce and with the support of the Northern Virginia Technology Council. More than 400 policymakers and industry specialists working in the information and communications technology field attended the luncheon.
The event began with signings of numerous memorandums of understanding and agreements between the Egyptian Ministry of Communications & Information Technology and Egyptian and US government entities, companies and universities, symbolizing a step forward in the relationship between Egypt and the US.

Patterson set the stage by relaying to the audience his experience of working in Egypt. He noted that Egypt has shown its commitment to economic development and accelerated job creation with programs of global investment. As a result, Egypt is one of the most attractive markets for private investment. Patterson affirmed that Egypt's advances in communications and information technology have made it easier for companies such as IBM to deepen their investments in the country.

Kamel delivered the keynote speech, addressing the US-Egypt IT partnership and how to reconnect the two governments in ICT policies and business. He asserted that IT foreign direct investment accounts for 10 percent of total foreign direct investment. As GDP grew by 7 percent in 2008, the ICT sector grew to double digits, reaching 20-percent growth ahead of the overall economy. Kamel said that ICT reform will hopefully drive the economy forward. He hopes that modern infrastructure for local and international connectivity will help improve public welfare in such areas as health and education. Kamel wrapped up his address with a focus on the renewed partnership between the US and Egypt in the ICT field. He noted that the luncheon event touched upon President Barack Obama's encouragement of centers of excellence for science and technology in the Middle East. Kamel pledged to participate in the summit on entrepreneurship for the Muslim world that Obama proposed. The minister also invited multinational companies to make further use of Egypt.

Chopra then addressed Kamel and the audience, saying that he brought with him a message directly from President Obama. Chopra maintained that the US is witnessing an ICT boom similar to Egypt. He detailed the US information and communications technology growth plan, which resembles the Egyptian model founded in a common agenda. He noted that there are areas with which technology needs to merge, including healthcare, education and cyber-security. Chopra championed the idea of a commonwealth. He made reference to being from Virginia, once a commonwealth city-state in early US history that has maintained the legacy of collaboration for the public good. Chopra asserted that Obama's vision reaffirms the idea that the US must move forward in its growth as a commonwealth of collaborative ideas and action.

In brief closing statements, Cerf expressed his deep inspiration from listening to the advances, excitement and progress Egypt has made in the ICT field as well as his excitement to participate in Egypt's renaissance. He is proud to be part of Google and its recent $10 million partnership with the Egyptian government for business and workforce development.