Mahbubur Rahman, President ICC Bangladesh, who was earlier honoured as a “Presidential Friend of Indonesia” in 2012 at Indonesia’s 67th Independence Day in Jakarta, seen with former president of Indonesia Prof. Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Bali, Indonesia recently. The local chapter of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is going to host a major regional business forum in Dhaka in the later part of this year. Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) – the flagship regional business forum organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) will be held in Dhaka sometimes in November-December this year, an ICCB press release said on Saturday. At the request of ESCAP Business Advisory Council, ICC Bangladesh (ICCB) will be hosting the APBF that will bring together business, government, academic, civil society and other key stakeholders from across the Asia-Pacific. The APBF consists of 53 member states, nine associate members, ESCAP secretariat, ESCAP Business Advisory Council (EBAC) and Sustainable Business Network (ESBN). Its mission is to provide the best platform for regional public-private sector dialogue on the role and needs of business in achieving inclusive, resilient and sustainable development. Established in 2004 in Shanghai, the APBF has helped form a Pan-Asian multi-stakeholder network, with hosting business forum in various locations, such as Almaty, Bangkok, Colombo, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Kunming. Meanwhile, ICCB President Mahbubur Rahman invited former president of Indonesia Prof. Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to be the keynote speaker at APBF, the release said.
