January 13, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 03, 1429

LAHORE, Jan 12: The Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry will collaborate with the United Nations for the promotion of investment and enterprise development in quake-affected areas under the Community Based Livelihood Recovery Programme which aims at supporting economic recovery and enhancing community resilience in Northern Pakistan.

Chamber President Mohammad Ali Mian stated this while talking to a United Nations Industrial Development Organisation delegation headed by its Investment Promotion Coordinator Rehan Sadiq here on Saturday.

He said the UNIDO initiative would help create more conducive partnership environment for the public and private sector institutions and communities to diversify and strengthen the local economy for long-term sustainable recovery of the affected regions.

He said the LCCI would also sign a Memorandum of Understanding with UNIDO to document the initiative. It would also collaborate with it for holding seminars and workshops for creating awareness among the business community about this unique opportunity, he added.

Rehan Sadiq informed the LCCI President that in the year 2007 UNIDO had achieved its targets successfully by identifying potential sectors and holding successful investment promotion conferences at Muzaffarabad in Azad Kashmir and Mansehera in NWFP. It had also provided effective enterprise development training in both the affected areas of AJK and NWFP.

The UNIDO had developed close collaboration with the government in AJK that had established Investment Promotion Cell there to facilitate the potential investors in doing business.

The UNIDO official said the potential sectors for investment in earthquake affected areas were tourism, minerals exploration, woodwork and supply of construction material, agribusiness, handicrafts, forests and hydropower. They would provide full technical support, feasibility reports and market surveys to all those who were interested in making investment in the affected areas.