While the MENA region was beginning to show signs of recovery from the COVID-19 crisis - with a 4.4% expected growth for 2022, the war in Ukraine has placed a new set of constraints on economies and plunged firms into uncertainty. In this context, dialogue between the private and public sector is more crucial than ever to prepare the region to mitigate economic shocks and foster countries’ resilience.

Business associations throughout the region are well positioned to harness the potential of digital technologies and the green transition while promoting deeper regional integration through trade and entrepreneurship. They can also design inclusive strategies towards regional integration that can facilitate job creation, increasing the participation of youth and women in the labour market.

Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) provides a structured consultation between private and public decision-makers. Recent discussion in the context of the MENA-OECD Business Advisory Board (BAB) highlighted that MENA countries where PPD and coordination amongst key actors is strongest tended to perform better in reacting efficiently to the crisis

The MENA-OECD Business Advisory Board (BAB) is a dedicated regional platform for public-private dialogue on policy solutions to immediate and long-term challenges throughout MENA. Open to private sector organisations from the 19 members of the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme and from OECD countries, it is a unique network of business associations creating opportunities for networking, sharing knowledge and best practices across MENA and OECD countries.

The BAB has three main objectives:

• Strengthen the capacity of business organisations
• Promote new forms of effective public-private dialogue
• Inform the work of the MENA-OECD Competitiveness Programme with the needs of the private sector

In order to meet these objectives, the BAB organises annual high-profile meetings between business associations and governments.