Update June 2005

    IZMIR 2005 Conference Report + Declaration

Update April 2005

Training and Information on Free Zones

• Two high-level Training Courses
  
  are taking place in the run-up to Izmir 2005. Participants from countries including Morocco, Tanzania, Finland, South Africa, Bulgaria, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Djibouti etc. are taking up the challenge of INVESTMENT PROMOTION STRATEGIES and STRATEGIC MARKETING PLANS FOR FREE ZONES.
  
  Either of these two programmes can be run 'in house'. See the Training Course pages for the full syllabuses or write for more information to info@freezones.org
  
  
• New books on Free Zones and Infrastructure
  
  See tab on left for information on two new books of considerable value to those involved with Free Zones.

Update February 2005

The programme for IZMIR 2005 has now been mailed - please contact us by email if you have not received yours and we will send you a .pdf file.

We are eagerly looking forward to our first major International Conference of 2005. However two other opportunities to air the benefits of Free Zones will occur early on the same day in March.

• On Wednesday 9th March Graham Mather will host a morning Seminar during MIPIM in Cannes. MIPIM is the premier world commercial real estate meeting and we are delighted to have the opportunity to be there. If you are registered to attend look out for details of the seminar venue on the MIPIM website www.mipim.com or in the programme which will be amongst the hand-outs on arrival.

• In the evening WFZC is sponsoring the evening Reception at WAIPA X at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. This event is attended by delegates from throughout the world and WAIPA is expecting a large group from China this year.

Once again WORLD FREE ZONE CONVENTION is spreading the word about Zones at key gatherings of influential corporate executives and government officials.

Update November 2004

Please see the Review of Cape Town in our History pages. You can also view details of other meetings held since 2001. We are proud of the fact that of the 120 countries with Zone programmes 90 have now participated at WFZC events.

Update September 2004

We are pleased to be able to offer the following tours for delegates to Cape Town

HALF DAY TOURS

• Morning Cape Town City and Table Mountain
• Afternoon Cape Town City and Table Mountain
• Morning Cultural Township Tour
• Winelands Morning or Afternoon Tour

FULL DAY TOURS

• Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope
• Cape Grand Slam Tour
• Hermanus (famous for whale watching) Tour

PRE AND POST CONVENTION LEISURE TOURS

• Luxury Kruger National Park Tour
• Garden Route Tour

Bookings for half-day and one-day tours may be made at the Convention. Pre and Post Convention Tours should be booked with the WFZC office in advance.

fDi (Foreign Direct Investment) magazine

To coincide with the IV Annual Convention in Cape Town in October, FT Business will be publishing the 2005 Guide to Free Zones. Click here for full details(PDF=217ko). We should be pleased to pass on your details to fDi staff if you send us an email to info@freezones.org

Free Zones Associations in Cape Town

The IV Annual Convention in South Africa is pleased to welcome members of the World Economic Processing Zones Association (WEPZA) to Cape Town in October. On Sunday 31st October they will hold their Annual General Meeting. During the Convention there will be a meeting of African Zones with a view to establishing a Pan African Free Trade Zone Association and Hector Vargas will be attending as a representative of the Comite de las Zonas Francas de las Americas.

We are much looking forward to visiting Cape Town. The South African stakeholders are planning a magnificent event and we expect a record turn out. Names of additional speakers will be posted from time to time on the welcome and news update pages of our website. We shall also post information about planned tours and visits.

In view of demand the number of one-day training courses to be held before the Convention has been increased to six. For more information or any queries contact info@freezones.org

Early signs are that many countries will be sending several people in their delegations. Remember that names can be confirmed after the initial registration. The Earlybird cut-off date is the 31st August 2004.

Review CAIRO 2004

The hugely successful CAIRO 2004 International Conference took up much of the time of the WFZC Secretariat during the early part of the year. Our first excursion into the African continent was enjoyed by all concerned. One of the most interesting features was the choice of speakers from Egypt including hands-on managers from several of the Zones there. The post-conference visit organised by GAFI was particularly useful and provided a glimpse of how the Zones work in practice.

The following extract appeared in the June/July issue of fDi magazine:

FREE ZONE FAMILIARISATION VISIT

Some 30 participants to CAIRO 2004 organised by WORLD FREE ZONE CONVENTION spent a day touring some of the factories in Egypt's Free Zones. First on the Agenda at the Nasr City Public Free Zone just outside Cairo was Leoni Wiring Systems (formerly Lucas) who make all the tresses for the UK manufactured Range Rover Freelander vehicles. All components, other than cables which are sourced locally, are imported before the wiring systems are assembled in Egypt - the final product being re-exported to Newcastle. Delta Textile Egypt is another local manufacturer whose output is also destined for the export market. Moving on to 10th Ramadan City the group visited Swiss Garments Co. a ready to wear specialist group whose range of products are mainly destined for Marks & Spencer also in the UK.

The final tour was of the fully integrated and vast site of Oriental Weavers International whose share of the American market for machine-made area rugs is 30%. The visitors were hosted by the Chairman and CEO Mr. Mohamed Farid Khamis and were able to see the full process from polyproplyene to subtly coloured rugs with a wide variety of design and sizes. The group also make more traditional carpets woven from wool and silk but it was the powerful image of the raw by-product of the petroleum industry being transformed into a work of art which fascinated the visitors who compared notes over lunch before returning to the city centre.

Participants to CAIRO 2004, including Mrs. Ama Pepple, Permanent Secretary to the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Commerce, after the visit to Swiss Garments Co.

Update February 2004

CAIRO 2004 International Conference launched in Geneva

PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT signed with MIGA        

WFZC have recently signed a partnership agreement with the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency based at the World Bank in Washington, DC, USA. The agreement is to provide content for their online services including FDI Xchange and Investment Promotion Network (IPAnet) as one of their network of marketing partners by assisting to build a knowledge bank on Free Zones through an exchange of relevant information. Some 5,000 investors worldwide have already subscribed to these services and the number is increasingly rapidly.

To receive regular e-mail updates on investment opportunities and business environment conditions, countries, sectors and topics of your interest, register in the FDI Xchange visit     www.fdixchange.com

See a sample e-mail at       www.fdixchange.com/fdixdox/fdix.htm

For more information on IPAnet and MIGA's other online services, go to     www.ipanet.net

Please address your comments, feedback, news items of interest and enquiries regarding political risk guarantee products to     ipanetbriefing@worldbank.org

fDi February/March issue

The Free Zone pages in the current issue of Foreign Direct Investment magazine have a new format. In additional to international developments we are including News from the Zones. If you have an item you would like to be included in a future issue please inform us at     info@freezones.org

---

Update January 2004

A VERY SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR TO ALL FREE ZONES WORLDWIDE!

Thursday 4th December 2003

A One-Day  OPEN  FORUM met to discuss the implications of the  WTO meeting in  Cancun and how to solve the issues of

INTERNATIONAL  LAW  ON  INCENTIVES, BENEFITS, COMPETITION  AND  STATE  AID

 

This event was open to all Free  Zone and  Industrial/Science  Park  Authorities and  Operators, Investment  Promotion  Agencies and  Regional  Authorities. A key feature of the  Conference was the opportunity to examine various options for creating exceptions and legal protections to facilitate the work of  Zones and  Parks throughout the world.

 

It was agreed by all to be a resounding success giving those present the opportunity of making their voice, and that of their country, region or zone, heard by those who are taking policy decisions now which will affect their future prosperity.

 

Full details on London Conference 2003 page

WFZC thanks JEBEL ALI FREE ZONE AUTHORITY for its support at this event.

---

Update August 2003

The 2003 Convention was indeed the No. 1 Meeting Place for the world's Free Zones
for participants from every continent and region. A warm thank you to all our Speakers, Sponsors and Delegates!

Dr. Francesca Trampus's special Report Challenges, Threats & New Opportunities is now available to purchase - see Library pages for full details of how to order this and other 2003 available texts.

2003 Website Awards

Category One - Joint Winners!

	www.elidz.co.za	East London Development Zone Corporation, South Africa
	www.zonafranca.org	Consortium of the Free Zone of Gran Canaria, Spain

Category Two - Winner

www.epzakenya.com

Export Processing Zones Authority, Kenya

See Website Awards page for more information and photographs.

---

VISITS TO THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS

 

Immediately after the Brussels Convention delegates were offered a rare insight into the workings of three of the Institutions of the European Union:  The Commission itself, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee.

 

Those who attended had an opportunity to question senior officials on Trade and Development Issues as well as to visit the impressive Parliament building which is at the heart of Europe.

 

WFZC hopes to make Visits to local institutions a feature of future Annual Conventions.

 

---