International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh (ICC-B), organiser of the event, expects participation of as many as 40 countries in the conference.

ICC-B is organising the largest trade conference to celebrate its 10th anniversary of operation in Bangladesh. The theme of the conference is "Global Economic Governance and Challenges of Multilateralism."

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is expected to inaugurate the two-day conference. Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra will address the opening ceremony.

Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director General of WTO, Rubens Ricupero, secretary-general of UNCTAD, Mark Vaile MP, minister for Trade of Australia, Professor Thomas W. Walde, Jean-Monnet Chair, Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee, United Kingdom, will attend the conference.

I K Gujral, former prime minister of India, Rini M. Sumarno Soewandi, minister for Industry and Trade of Indonesia, Ravi Karunanayake, minister for Commerce and Consumer Affairs of Sri Lanka, Ali Coskun, minister for Industry and Trade of Turkey, Truong Dinh Tuyen, Minister for Trade of Vietnam, will represent their governments.

Bangladesh government will be represented by Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and Board of Investment Executive Chairman Mahmudur Rahman.

Jean-René Fourtou, President, ICC, Yong-Sung Park, vice-president, ICC, Maria Livanos Cattaui, Secretary General, ICC, Adnan Kassar, former President of ICC, Rahmi M. Koç, former president of ICC, Hari Shankar Singhania, former president of ICC, will represent ICC.

Dr Kamal Hossain, former foreign minister of Bangladesh, Fumio Hoshi, executive director, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Avijit Mazumdar, chairman, World Chambers Federation, Robert Briner, Chairman, International Court of Arbitration, and ICC chairmen of Bahrain, Czech Republic, India, Pakistan, Thailand, will also attend the event.

On the second day there will be three business sessions on "Multilateral Trade Regime in Post-Cancun Perspective", "Capacity Building for Investment promotion in Developing Countries", "Trade Facilitation Through Dispute Resolution."

In the backdrop of September 11, war in Afghanistan and Iraq, security concern of the United States, security threats are overtaking global economic agenda. While increasing threat to the multilateral trade regime should have been addressed with right earnest on a priority basis, it appears confrontational stance is surfacing on multilateral trading issue, ICC-B said.

ICC-B thinks that it is imperative that world leaders give their immediate attention to the development agenda like multilateral trading regime. Keeping this in mind the chamber is focusing on the multilateral system which is seen as both threat and opportunity.

Apex Footwear, IFIC Bank, KAFCO, Lever Brothers Bangladesh Ltd, Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Transcom Group are sponsors while Getco, National Bank, Navana Group, Nestle Bangladesh Ltd, Siemens and Singer are co-sponsors of the conference.

The countries that confirmed their participation include France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Turkey, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.