Lars Eklund, President World Competitiveness Institute (TCI) arriving on 20 February, 2006 for a three day visit to Pakistan to discuss the international best practices on Innovation and Competitiveness

ISLAMABAD, February 17, 2006 - Mr. Lars Eklund, President of the Barcelona/Spain based World Competitiveness Institute (TCI) will arrive in Islamabad on the 20th of February for three days visit and will meet the high-level Government Officials, representatives from private sector and the heads of the key universities to discuss the regional conference and share his views with Pakistani officials about the international best practice on innovation and competitiveness.

Mr. Eklund will also meet the Prime Minister, Mr. Shaukat Aziz. Mr. Eklund visit is related to the TCI Regional Conference on Competitiveness and Economic Growth for Asia and Pacific to be held in Pakistan in May 2006. The conference is organised by the Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF), sponsored by the USAID, and under the Auspices of TCI and the Ministry of Finance, the Government of Pakistan.

It is worth to mention here that the conference is the result of the meetings of the Minister of State for Finance, Omar Ayub Khan during the TCI's annual conference in November in Hong Kong, with the leadership of TCI who had agreed to hold a regional conference for Asia-Pacific in Pakistan (15 to16 May, 2006).

TCI is the most significant entity in this arena as it's an alliance of cluster practitioners and network of the competitiveness experts worldwide. TCI's mission is to promote innovation-driven economic growth by fostering cluster-based development initiatives throughout the world. Its membership base is more than 400 leading competitiveness and cluster practitioners from all levels of governments and from the private sector, coming from more than 40 countries. By sharing knowledge and experience members gain access to leading insights and expertise and the most recent global developments in competitiveness theory.

During his visit, Mr. Lars Eklund, president of TCI will share his views about forthcoming regional conference in Pakistan. It has been learnt that competitiveness experts and cluster practitioners and policy makers from Asia and the Pacific will attend the conference to share views on policies necessary for creating a more competitive economy. Expected participants will come from Europe, North America, the surrounding region in Asia and the Pacific placing a powerhouse of information and knowledge under one roof for the first time ever in Asia's history.

The conference will also provide Pakistan with an opportunity to showcase its competitiveness initiatives and efforts underway to improve Pakistan's standing in the global value chain ---

About The Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF)

The Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) is being set up with the support of the
International donors and a matching grant by the Government of Pakistan to upgrade skilled manpower and emerging professionals in increasing Pakistan's competitiveness in the international market. CSF will support pilot projects that contribute to advance good strategy; make a sector more competitive; and help the producer and the value chain to obtain better value and better prices at each point in that chain, contributing to poverty alleviation and more income for producers.

About The Competitiveness Institute (TCI)
www.competitiveness.org

Barcelona/Spain based World Competitiveness Institute (TCI) is an alliance of cluster practitioners and network of the competitiveness experts worldwide. TCI's mission is to promote innovation-driven economic growth by fostering cluster-based development initiatives throughout the world.