On 13 – 15 November 2019 the FEMOZA (The World Free and Special Economic Zones Federation) organized in cooperation with WAIPA and our Consultative Committee UNIDO (The United Nations Industrial Development Organization) the SU-MEET, a World Hub where Free & Special Economic Zones from all over the World can meet a selected panel of Investors and Business Partners, which was held in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
There are over 1,800 Free and Special Economic Zones established worldwide. Many countries see them as useful instruments for stimulating the growth and diversification of their economies, fostering technological learning and innovation, and creating jobs. Over recent decades, Foreign Direct Investment projects have increasingly chosen to locate within Free & Special Economic Zones as the prime choice, because these zones offer technical comfort and security, along with the infrastructure, services, economies of scale and incentives, that are the optimal facilitator for implementation of FDI projects.
The topics lined up for SU-MEET aimed to evolve into solutions to the key current issues of development. Leading authorities and economical representatives shared their successful experiences as Free Zone developers or investors, with the aim of sharing best practices and attracting Foreign Direct Investment to Zones.
WAIPA Executive Director Bostjan Skalar was invited as a special guest to address the audience with the welcoming speech.
The topics selected at the Summit highlighted a range of economic sectors such as global Logistics and Distribution, including the One Road One Belt Initiative. The future continues to be driven by technology and Smart Cities where firms applying Blockchain asset recording also had a presence. Zone management today must integrate green working environments and flexible labor standards that can accommodate technology transfer. Furthermore, the investment funding of zones raises a wide spectrum of public and private sources.
The participants had networking and business opportunities. B2B and B2G meetings were organized during the event with a special dedicated morning focused on this activity.