Third Panel: E-Commerce in Palestine: Challenges and Opportunities
Time: 12:35 – 13:20
The digital economy has created opportunities for young people worldwide, to overcome unemployment. Yet Palestinian youth still faces multiple challenges in this area because of the Israeli occupation control over the Palestinian technology infrastructure and denying Palestinians of their basic right in economic development. Although big companies express their compliance and loyalty to strong governments like the occupation government, yet. Palestinian entrepreneurs are developing technological solutions that defy odds and overcome constraints. This panel will highlight the work of tech entrepreneurs and innovators and provide inspiration for digital economic development.
- Digitalization and its Impact on the Global and Palestinian Labor Market | Mounir Kleibo – Representative of the International Labor Organization in Palestine
- Challenges around e-commerce in Palestine | Sari Taha, Principal Consultant – Momentum Labs
- Global Financial Platforms Complicit in Israeli Military Occupation | Sam Bahour – Managing Partner, Applied Information Management (AIM)
Moderator
Fares Al Malky
Fares Al-Maliki, director of the news department at Watan Media Network. I joined Watan in 2006, a year after graduating from Birzeit University in the field of radio and television. I started working in Watan as a field reporter to cover the news, and then took over the duties of the “Editorial Secretary” in the News Department, and about a year and a half ago; I became director of the News Department. Besides my work in the news department, I have produced many investigative reports, and some of them are listed below: – Investigative report for “Wattan” and Areej Network: Arrested under the governor custody are victims of circumvention of the law – A investigative report for “Wattan”: Medical errors … investigation committees without standards and absent legal texts – For fear of being linked to terrorism … some banks are closing accounts for individuals, associations and civil society organizations – In an investigative report for Wattan “The brokers of the land and the homeland … without punishment ” – In an investigative report for Wattan “apartments not for sale… the collapse of the dream” In addition to my work at “Wattan”, I worked and is still working as a correspondent for the Lebanese satellite channel “LBCI”, a news correspondent in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem. During my years of experience in the media field, I participated in trainings and practical courses in different countries. I participated in a media-training program with the US State Department, and another one in Egypt and Jordan. I also participated with the Geneva Center for the Control of the Armed Forces in a training course in Spain on how Media should deal with complaints related to the performance of official institutions.
Fares Al Malky
Director of the News Section / Watan Media Network
Speakers
Mounir Kleibo
“Mounir Kleibo was born and raised in the Holy City of Jerusalem. He offers over 35 years of experience in higher education administration and leadership, good governance, social cohesion and human resource mobilization. A highly qualified management executive and pioneer in advocating transparency and corporate social responsibility, accountability and social inclusion along with social justice in Palestine. Mounir Kleibo concentrated on productivity enhancement, institution building and human capacity development as head of the UNDP/PAPP Governance and Public Sector unit. He stood out as the architect of the renowned Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals Programme (TOKTEN) in Palestine and the region (1994-2008) Mr Mounir Kleibo headed the team who produced “Palestine: A Guidebook” back in 2004 Mr. Kleibo became the Representative of the International Labour Organization in the occupied Palestinian territories since 2008 to date. He sees the ILO as absolutely central to the questions of the day: promoting decent work, enhancing social protection and social security, the fight against poverty, and equality for all. Additionally, he sits on a number of advisory boards for education reform, civil society advancement, cultural heritage advancement and human development.”
Mounir Kleibo
Representative for international labour organisation
Sari Taha
Sari Taha is a Palestinian engineer and entrepreneur from Jerusalem. He is very active in advancing the Palestinian entrepreneurial ecosystem and volunteers a lot of his time in mentoring promising entrepreneurs and advising projects with strategic values. He was a co-founder of a Canadian renewable energy startup. He also worked as an Investment analyst in a venture capital fund called Takwin labs based in Haifa city. For the past two years he was the program manager of Rawabi Tech Hub. in 2018, he joined the co-founding team of Doroob Technologies; a Palestinian startup that specializes in navigation and location-based solutions. Also, he recently also started working as an entrepreneurship consultant with The World Bank Group. Sari is a connector and campaigner by nature who alternates between getting work done on a grassroots level while keeping an eye on the big picture and global developmental and technology trends. He holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Birzeit University and he earned his MBA from the Technion Institute of Technology.
Sari Taha
Principal Consultant - Momentum Labs
Sam Bahour
Sam Bahour is a Palestinian-American based in Al-Bireh-Ramallah, Palestine; he is a managing partner of the Applied Information Management (AIM). Bahour serves as a co-founder and chairman of Americans for a Vibrant Palestinian Economy and a board member and policy adviser at Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network. He frequently writes on Palestinian affairs and is the co-editor of HOMELAND: Oral History of Palestine and Palestinians. Bahour is also a blogger at epalestine.com.
Sam Bahour
Managing Partner, Applied Information Management (AIM)
