(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)

The International Organizations Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the United Nations Economic Council of Europe (UNECE) is organizing a regional conference for experts in the field of PPP – public-private partnership. The conference, in which delegates from 56 countries in Europe, Canada and the United States will participate, will be held in Israel on 5-8 June 2007. It is the first time that Israel is hosting such a conference together with the UNECE.

The conference is a good example of the cooperation prevailing today between Israel and the UN, reflecting Israel's rightful place as part of the Western nations group: Europe (East and West), Canada and the US.

Aside from the political statement, the conference showcases Israel as a leading state in the promotion of projects, especially in the field of infrastructures, carried out in partnership between the public and private sectors (PPP). This is a hot field right now in the international and UN arenas, as a leading tool for development and investment in both developed and emerging nations.

The conference's primary objective is to provide Israeli companies and businessmen with the opportunity to meet representatives interested in promoting projects in their countries and to lay the groundwork for these projects to be carried out by Israeli companies.