KARACHI, Aug 16: The 6th meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) task force on SMEs held in Bangkok on Friday.

Thailand state minister for tourism Somsak Kiatsuranondha inaugurated the meeting.

Delegates from more than 30 Muslim countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Malaysia, Sudan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia participated in the event.

The largest delegation was from Pakistan including representatives from Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and the Karachi office of Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI).

On behalf of the FPCCI president Dr Ayub Mehar presented a research paper on “Key success factors for national SMEs development programme”.

The paper highlighted the problems faced by the SMEs, their contribution in the GDP, exports and employment and the role of chambers to promote these enterprises in OIC countries.

The FPCCI nominee said that SMEs should promote regional cooperation, joint ventures and integration between the various geographical regions of the Muslim world.—PPI