full meeting report - business humanitarian forum group meeting report 2006.pdf · 3/5/2006 ·...

“THE POSITIVE POTENTIAL OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR”

CONTACT GROUP MEETING ON DEVELOPING BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS IN THE WOOD PROCESSING SECTOR IN

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

BUSINESS HUMANITARIAN FORUM

MEETING REPORT

GENEVA, MAY 10 & 11, 2006

Contact Information

The Business Humanitarian ForumMaison Internationale de l’Environnement II

7-9 Chemin de Balexert, 1219 Châtelaine (Geneva), Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)22 795 1800 Fax: +41 (0)22 795 1809

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bhforum.org

“Facilitating Investment Where it is Needed Most”

The Business Humanitarian Forum Association

Table of Contents

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

Executive Summary

Meeting Agenda for May 11

Meeting Notes

Meeting Outcomes and Evaluations

About the BHF

BHF Program in 2006 for Bosnia and Herzegovina

MeetingThe Contact Group Meet-

ing on Developing Busi-

ness Partnerships in the

Wood Processing Sector,

held in Geneva on May

11, 2006, brought together

some 40 representatives

of private companies and

organizations from Bos-

nia and Herzegovina and

Western Europe.

This meeting is part of a

larger BHF Program for

BiH in 2006 which aims

to support one of the most

promising economic sec-

tors of this country.

Press Releases

Newspaper Article

Annex A

Annex B

1

2

3

10

11

13

24

Annex C 27

List of Companies and Organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Western Europe

Contact Group

8

This report was published by the BHF in May, 2006

The Business Humanitarian Forum would like to thank its project part-ners for their cooperation and support in hosting the Contact Group Meet-ing on Developing Business Partnerships in the Wood Processing Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held at the BHF offices in Geneva.

Project Partners in Switzerland: Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO), ZurichSwiss Organization for Facilitating Investments (SOFI), ZurichCenter for Development and Cooperation (CDC), Berne University of Applied Sciences of Architecture, Civil and Wood Engineering (HSB)

Project Partners in BiH:USAID’s Cluster Competitiveness Activity, SarajevoStrikConsulting, Sarajevo

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

BHF Contact Group Meeting Report 2006

The Contact Group Meeting on Develop-ing Business Partnerships in the Bosnian Wood Processing Sector, held in Geneva on May 11, 2006, brought together some 40 representatives of private companies and organizations from Bosnia and Herze-govina (BiH) and Western Europe. This meeting is part of a larger BHF Pro-gram for BiH in 2006 which aims to sup-port promising economic sectors of this country. It was organized by the BHF, with strong support from its partners and the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Berne.

The meeting was preceded by a reception to welcome all participants to Geneva on the eve of the meeting, May 10. The meeting itself was opened with words of welcome and encouragement by the President of the BHF. The Ambassador of Bosnia and Her-zegovina to Switzerland then briefly ad-dressed the attendees, acknowledging the difficulties of the transition phase that BiH is going through but, more importantly, pointing out the promising developments since the end of the war and the potential for economic development, particularly in the wood processing sector.

Following presentations by the project partners and an overview on the current situation of the wood processing sector, there was a presentation by the U.N. Eco-nomic Commission for Europe on forest and wood products certification in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as in Western Eu-rope.

Afterwards, the attending companies from BiH and Western Europe briefly intro-duced their companies and their perspec-tives with regard to potential business col-laboration.

The afternoon session consisted of small, specifically-targeted meetings between European and Bosnian companies. These meetings were organized according to the previously expressed wishes of the partici-pants.

Judging from the feedback stated in the evaluation sheets and discussions with participants, the meeting satisfactorily fulfilled the expectations of the attending representatives. Several potentially suc-cessful partnerships were initiated. We know of four Bosnian Companies which have started business discussions with three European firms and some of the Eu-ropean companies are planning follow-up trips to BiH.

In addition, Bosnian firms who traveled together from Sarajevo and Banja Luka es-tablished work and trade relations amongst themselves.

A number of other significant collabora-tions and follow-up projects have either been announced or are underway (see meeting outcomes in section V.).

The Business Humanitarian Forum would like to thank all partners and participants for attending the meeting and for contrib-uting to its success.

1

Executive Summary


Contact Group Meeting Program9.30-17.00, May 11, 2006

BHF Headquarters, Maison Internationale de l’Environnement II, Chemin de Balexert 7-9, 1219 Châtelaine, Geneva

09.30-10.00 Registration & Welcome coffee

Meeting Agenda for May 11

Welcome - John Maresca, President, BHF10.00-10.10 - Amb. Jasmina Pasalic, Embassy of Bosnia and Herze- govina , Berne

- Mr. Adrian Bretscher, SIPPO Representative - Mr. Hans-Peter Achermann, SOFI Representative - Mr. Kurt Wüthrich, CDC Representative / Berne University of Applied Sciences of Architecture, Civil and Wood Engineering (HSB)

Moderator: Ms. Emily Talmon l’Armée, BHF

Opening Remarks by BHF Project Partners

10.10-10.30

- Overview on the current situation of the wood processing sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina Mr. Fuad Strik, StrikConsulting - Overview of certification for forests and wood products in Western Europe and BiH Mr. Douglas Clark, UNECE

Sector Overview

10.30- 10.50

- Short Introductions by company representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina - Short Introductions by company representatives from Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy Moderator: Emily Talmon-l’Armée, BHF

Company Introductions

11.05-12.15

10.50 – 11.05 Coffee Break

- Individual meetings among company and organization representatives to discuss potential for business and trade partnerships or other forms of cooperation

Different Moderators / Interpreters as needed

Meeting Sessions

13.15-16.45

12.15 -13.15 Lunch break

- BHF closing statementClosing Session16.45-17.00

2


1. Welcome by BHF Presi-dent Mr. John Maresca

BHF President John Maresca welcomed the participants, noting that the BHF was pleased to host this important and promis-ing gathering of Bosnian, Swiss, German, Austrian and Italian companies active in the wood processing sector.

John Maresca stated his firm belief that this kind of event would help develop and establish business and trade partnerships between the attending companies and he encouraged the participants to make the most of the opportunity.

2. Welcome by Ambassador Jasmina Pasalic, Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Berne

Ambassador Pasalic noted that the BiH economy “is going through a period of post-war transition, primarily from a cen-trally planned to a market economy” in-volving major reconstruction and substan-tially increased economic production. She emphasized that, nevertheless, “BiH has made remarkable progress in many fields” and that “important and needed reforms are underway.”

Ambassador Pasalic underlined that “one of the main tasks of the Embassy of BiH to the Swiss Confederation is to present our State as a valuable partner with all its pos-sibilities and advantages for important for-eign investments and the engagement of foreign business partners.” She confirmed

the importance of the wood processing sector in BiH and emphasized the need for its rapid restructuring, adding that “there is a large potential in human and natural resources.” In closing, Ambassador Pas-alic quoted a Swiss representative who had spent some time in BiH: “’Bosnia and Herzegovina has a brilliant future’ he said, and I agree whole-heartedly.”

3. Opening remarks by BHF Project Partners: SIPPO, SOFI and CDC

a) Mr. Adrian Bretscher, Project Manager, SIPPO Mr. Bretscher welcomed all the partici-pants and thanked the BHF for organizing the event; he then described the purpose of his organization.

SIPPO, the Swiss Import Promotion Pro-gramme, was established under the patron-age of SECO, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). SIPPO’s general mandate is to support developing countries effectively and cost-efficiently in their efforts to participate in interna-tional world trade to a greater degree. In order to achieve this, SIPPO is promoting exports of products from emerging /transi-tion markets to Western Europe.

SIPPO is active in 20 countries all over the world (Latin America, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe) through three different platforms:

Meeting Notes

3


1. Trade promotion through provision of trade and market information 2. Match-making events bringing together exporters and importers (trade fairs or B2B events) 3. Seminars/ workshops

Sectors of activity: Interior design, furniture, toys, leather goods, accessories, agricultural products, processed food, medicinal herbs, fish & seafood, fruits and vegetables, fashion, clothes and textiles, technical products, electronics, software, jewellery, handi-crafts and eco-tourism.

As part of the “Wood Action Plan 2006”, SIPPO will organize, jointly with the ITC, a workshop in Mozambique in August and one in Ecuador in November. Sippo will also organize promotion activities and provide trade-related information such as an exporter’s directory and surveys of Swiss and EU markets.

b) Mr. Hans Achermann, Deputy Managing Director SOFI

Mr. Achermann thanked the BHF for holding the event and for the opportunity to present his organization.

SOFI, the Swiss Organisation for Facilitat-ing Investments, was established in 1997 on the initiative of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

SOFI’s mandate is to promote investment in developing and transition economies and to enable transfer of capital, techno-logical expertise and managerial know-

how through this process.

SOFI is a “one-stop shop” providing firms with the full range of services to meet the challenges of investing in foreign mar-kets.

The SOFI-philosophy is to create a “win-win-situation” by: - Supporting the private sector in developing and transition economies through:creation of jobs, transfer of know-how, building local capacity, poverty allevia-tion. - Supporting growth and competitiveness of Swiss SME’s through:presence in new markets, taking advantage of cost factors, gaining access to natural resources, sharing of funding and financial risks and adaptation to the pressure of glo-balization.

SOFI is active in Central/Eastern Europe, CIS Countries, Central/South America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

SOFI promotes the following services:

- General promotion of investments in developing or transition economies - Supplying information - Forging partnerships - Providing consulting services - Supporting implementation - SECO Start-up Fund (SSF)

Requirements regarding the SECO Start-up Fund (SSF):

- Investment within the first 3 years of a project

4


- Loan up to 50% of project costs, up to a maximum of CHF 500,000 - Borrower should be a Swiss resident - Interest SEBR + 2% (+1% per year) - Repayment within 3 to 5 years

On average, SOFI replies to 5000 informa-tion requests per year, provides consulting for approximately 3000 projects, which amounts to a total investment volume of CHF 100 million per year.

c) Mr. Kurt Wüthrich, Head CDC

The Center for Development and Coopera-tion (CDC) at the Berne University of Ap-plied Sciences of Architecture, Civil and Wood Engineering (HSB), is active in de-veloping and transition economies through the following activities:

- Research and development - Technology transfer - Vocational and further education - Enterprise development

The CDC’s interest with regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s wood industry are four fold:

- Support and expertise to establish a center of excellence for the wood industry - Participation in general capacity building - Support for private wood processing enterprises - Collaboration with universities as well as research and development institutions in BiH Mr. Wüthrich was pleased to present his

organization to the present companies and looked forward to subsequent discussions.

4. Overview of the current situation of the wood processing sector in BiH, Mr. Fuad Strik, Founder of StrikConsulting

Mr. Fuad Strik worked in close partner-ship with the BHF to organize a fact-find-ing mission of the partners to BiH at the end of March in order to select appropriate companies from BiH for the contact group meeting in May.

Mr. Strik welcomed the participants and gave a detailed presentation on the cur-rent state of the wood processing sector in BiH:

5

Most of the forests are state-owned

The overall forest is estimated at 2.5m

ha and the incremental growth of for-

est is estimated at 5.6m. m3/ year

BiH has a very long tradition of

wood-processing

War and turmoil in the 1990’s re-

sulted in the loss of previously estab-

lished markets and pushed the firms

down the value-chain

The situation in the sector has been

improving but much remains to be

done

Relative to its size, BiH is the richest

European country with regard to the

forest surface


Currently, there are around 1,500 small wood processing firms in BiH. Many of them are sawmills, but there are also many producers of joinery, floor covers, solid wood boards, furniture, windows, doors, prefabricated houses, etc.

The wood-processing sector in BiH repre-sents:

- 1/5 of the country’s exports - 10% of the GDP - 15% of total employment

Sales and exports of the BiH wood sec-tor have tripled over the past five years, though from a very low base.

60% of wood sector production is export-ed, of which:

- Furniture represents 25% - Lumber represents over 50%

The strategic importance of BiH’s wood industry has been internationally recog-nized. The Swiss Agency for Develop-ment and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Af-fairs (SECO), for instance, have a project to support small-to-medium enterprises (SME) in various sectors in BiH, includ-ing the wood sector (project implementa-tion by the German Development Agency

GTZ).

USAID is also supporting the development of BiH’s wood sector through the promo-tion of competitive clusters.

In conclusion, there is an evident potential in the BiH wood processing sector. Mr. Strik confirmed that the BiH companies attending the contact group meeting are ready and capable to respond to European market demands. Mr. Strik is convinced that business interests will define the re-sults of the meeting and set the course for next steps.

5. “Certification Overview & Capacity Building” by Mr. Douglas Clark, UNECE/ FAO Timber Section

Mr. Clark thanked the BHF for the invita-tion to give a presentation about the wood certification procedures at the contact group meeting and emphasized the follow-ing important issues:

Forest product certification is a voluntary, market-driven initiative that seeks to label products from forests which are managed according to internationally accepted stew-ardship principles.

Certified forest products bear labels dem-onstrating in a verifiable manner that they come from forests that meet standards for sustainable management. Consumers might find labels on furniture and wood products while manufacturers could veri-fy the source of certified products from a system of chain of custody that precisely identifies the origin of the wood.

6

The forestry sector is very fragment-

ed and remains without a central state

forestry agency

Difficult access: only 40% of the for-

est is accessible


The objectives of the certification process are to identify wood coming from sustain-ably managed forests and to give consum-ers confidence that what they buy is not harming the forest or the environment.

There has been growth in certified forests, in particular in the EU/ EFTA states and in North America. The certification process is much less advanced and partially non-ex-istent in the rest of Europe and CIS Coun-tries, Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Expressed in figures: 50% of the EU/ EFTA forests are certified, 30% in North American and only 0.5% of the forests in the rest of Europe/ CIS states are certified.

Several different standards and certi-fication schemes operate in the market. While these differ in detail, all offer independent confirmation of sustainable management. FSC (22%), PEFC (24 %), SFI (23 %) and CSA (27 %, endorsed by PEFC) are the main labels on the mar-ket. There is no predominant label at this stage.

Mr. Clark emphasized the fact that certi-fied products are more visible in the mar-ket place, especially in Western-European countries such as Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Although there is no price differential yet between certified and non-certified prod-ucts, the choice might be to sell or not to sell or be excluded from larger markets in Western Europe.

At its recent workshop held in Novi Sad in April 2006, the UNECE/ FAO aimed to:

- introduce the underlying principles

of forest products marketing

- provide an overview of forest

products markets, with special

reference to the Balkans and

SE Europe

- share good practice in forest prod-

ucts marketing - explain how a marketing strategy may be developed and implemented at the regional, national and company levels - produce recommendations for future actions.

A similar workshop is planned for De-cember of 2006 in Dubrovnik. The par-ticipation of Bosnian companies active in the wood processing sector might be a possible outcome of today’s meeting. Mr Clark invited those present to register their interest with him ([email protected]) or to check the websitewww.unece.org for more information.

6. Short introductions by company representatives from BiH, Switzerland, Austria, Ger-many and Italy

7. Afternoon program (see agenda)

7


Meeting Outcomes

Meeting Outcomes and Evaluation

Bosnian company representatives who attended and traveled together agreed amongst themselves to discuss coop-eration in terms of joint trade and ex-port strategies.

8

In addition to four or more potentially successful partnerships that were ini-tiated, a number of other significant collaborations and follow-up projects have either been announced or are in the making. Some of the Western companies have confirmed their plans to visit some of the BiH companies.

The Swiss Import Promotion Pro-gramme (SIPPO) intends to include two to four companies from Bosnia and Herzegovina in its wood technical application programme (which leads to being invited to display the com-pany products at an international trade fair for two consecutive years).

Some Western companies have ex-pressed their interest to support the cre-ation of a center for excellence for the Bosnian wood industry and a follow-up project is underway involving the Cen-ter for Development and Cooperation and USAID to clarify the needs of the private industry in BiH and how such a center should be structured.

A number of follow-up projects in Sarajevo that aim to increase the com-petitiveness of the wood processing sector in BiH are currently in the plan-ning stage. All meeting attendees will be informed about upcoming events.

The University of Applied Sciences of Architecture, Civil and Wood En-gineering (HSB) will suggest some of the Bosnian companies as a place where the HSB students could do their internship.

Press releases have been issued and published by the BHF and SIPPO throughout Switzerland and by Strik-Consulting in BiH. The Bosnian Em-bassy in Berne released a separate press release in BiH through the Min-istry of Foreign Affairs in Sarajevo.

While it is difficult to track the impact of the various press releases, the part-ners know of at least four articles pub-lished in leading Bosnian newspapers and magazines, such as Oslobodenje on May 10 and Dnevni List onMay 14; see also Annex C).

As a consequence of the press releases, the BHF has been contacted by orga-nizations in BiH which focus on simi-lar economic development projects to discuss a potential cooperation.


The Bosnian Ambassador to Switzer-land was advised that her assistance would be requested by the BHF and SIPPO to intercede with her govern-ment in Sarajevo concerning the need to make arrangements for the certifi-cation of forests owned by the BiH government, not only for reasons of sustainability but also in order to im-prove export possibilities. She indi-cated she would be prepared to make such a request.

Meeting Evaluation

Judging from the feedback obtained through the evaluation sheets and discus-sions with participants, the meeting ap-peared to have satisfactorily fulfilled the expectations of the attending representa-tives.

Out of the 12 evaluation sheets that were handed to the BHF, 75% rated the orga-nization of the event as very satisfactory and 25% as satisfactory. The meeting it-self was perceived as very satisfactory by two, satisfactory by nine and moderate by one. The presentations at the meeting were rated as very satisfactory by five and satisfactory by seven. All except for one confirmed that the meeting had met their expectations.

In the question and answer section, a num-ber of companies and partners positively

ranked the “smooth and effective” organi-zation of the event, the quality of speakers, the open and transparent selection process and approach toward the whole subject. The BHF was again thanked for organiz-ing the meetings between the companies as well as between companies and orga-nizations.

As always in such partnership events, some company representatives would have wished there to be a greater number or dif-ferent types of companies in their specific field.

Another suggestion was to limit the meet-ings to companies from one specific sub-sector of the wood processing industry. One representative of a Western company noted that he would have been interested in a presentation on regulations for foreign investments in BiH.

All the meeting attendees will once again be contacted about three months after the meeting, in order to obtain a more definite assessment of the results of this meeting.

The Embassy of Bosnia and Her-zegovina encouraged a fact-finding mission by SIPPO and SOFI to BiH in the non-wood sectors.


About BHF

The Business-Humanitarian Forum (BHF), established in 1999, encourages better understanding and cooperation be-tween the public and private sectors, and works with partners to address humani-tarian problems and promote sustainable economic development. The BHF does this by arranging for direct private sec-tor involvement and investment in areas where it is needed, and by providing train-ing and facilitating dialogue between or-ganizations and private companies. The BHF builds awareness that business has a strong, long-term economic, political and social interest in supporting the work of the humanitarian community, and that private sector investment is the key ele-ment for economic development and over-coming long-term humanitarian problems. Both sectors are essential for the stabiliza-tion and social progress of developing and post-conflict societies. The BHF has initi-ated and carried out several reconstruction projects in post-conflict areas and helped create partnerships between businesses, humanitarian agencies and local govern-ments. The BHF has also sponsored con-tact groups, workshops and conferences to heighten awareness of the important role business can play in alleviating humani-tarian problems.

The BHF is a non-profit association based in Geneva and was founded with the en-couragement of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Participants in the founding session included leaders from the United

Nations and international humanitarian organizations such as Sadako Ogata, High Commissioner for Refugees, Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Vladimir Petrovsky, Director General of the United Nations Offices in Geneva, as well as lead-ers from private business and business associations, including George Russell, Chairman of the Russell Investment Group, and the Honorable John Whitehead, former Chair of Goldman Sachs. BHF advisors include Thomas Niles, former President of the United States Council for International Business, Mohammed Sahnoun, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-Gen-eral for Africa and Maria Cattaui, former Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce.

Project partners have included: The Unit-ed Nations and many of its specialized agencies, the World Bank, the Interna-tional Chamber of Commerce, the Swiss Agency for Development and Coopera-tion, the Swiss Red Cross, the Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesell-schaft, Deutsche Post World Net, the Eu-ropean Generic Medicines Association, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, The Gene-va International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, Humanitarian Affairs Review, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the NEPAD Business Group.

Jan 2006

The Business Humanitarian Forum

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BHF Program in 2006 for Bosnia and Herzegovina Background information The wood industry is one of the most im-portant sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). There is a long tradition of manu-facturing wooden products, and companies in this sector are already present through-out the wood value chain. The sector is currently going through restructuring; both the privatization process of forestry companies and the damage caused by the war have changed the way in which this industry works. As a result of the war, sec-ondary wood processing activities have shrunk. However, many Bosnian compa-nies are currently in the process of shifting downstream, with secondary processing capabilities as their main devel-opment focus. The Business Humanitarian Forum (BHF) is currently working to develop partners in trade and investment in the Bosnian wood processing industry. This initiative grew out of a se-ries of conferences that the BHF organized jointly with a number of Swiss and inter-national organizations between 2000-2004 on the situation in BiH and the Southeast Europe region. This project also results from a commissioned United Nations De-velopment Programme (UNDP) study on economic opportunities in the Srebrenica region that the BHF carried out in 2004. The potential for increasing trade and in-

vestment in the wood processing sector has also been pointed out by several in-ternational organizations, including the European Commission and USAID. Fur-thermore, local private companies, pro-fessional associations and technical insti-tutes in the wood processing sector have requested assistance with regard to trade, investment and training opportunities. BHF work program for 2006: trade, in-vestment and training There are three main objectives to this BHF initiative: business partnerships, trade op-portunities and technical assistance. Re-lated to the first and second objectives,

the BHF i n v i t e d se lec ted European c o m p a -

nies that are active in the wood process-ing sector and their counterparts in Bosnia and Herzegovina to a contact group meet-ing in Geneva. This contact group meet-ing on developing business partnerships in the wood processing sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held at the BHF head-quarters on May 11, 2006.

The BHF is working with its local Bos-nian partners to identify highly qualified companies which have experience in or the potential of working with international partners. In addition, BHF staff visited Bosnian companies in March 2006, prior

Potential for Trade and Investment:Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Wood Industry

11


to the May event, to ensure that these com-panies are interested in, are qualified for and have the capacity to partner with Swiss and other European partners.

The goal of the contact group meeting, which is co-organized by the BHF, the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIP-PO), the Swiss Organization for Facilitat-ing Investments (SOFI) and the Center for Development and Cooperation (CDC) at the Berne University of Applied Sciences for Architecture, Civil and Wood Engi-neering (HSB), is to encourage and to as-sist in facilitating foreign investment and partnerships between companies in West-ern Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such business partnerships will potentially open new and interesting markets for both sides. The third objective of the project is to pro-vide assistance to the departments of wood processing at various university faculties in BiH. This part of the project will be car-ried out by the BHF in partnership with The Center for Development and Coopera-tion (CDC) and will provide assistance to university departments, private companies and local entrepreneurs in the wood pro-cessing sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The CDC and BHF will cooperate with lo-cal faculties/schools to improve the train-ing curricula and to train instructors in modern wood technologies and manage-ment tools. The faculties will then be able to teach their students, and train manage-ment and staff of local wood-processing companies according to the requirements of the private sector companies. If deemed appropriate and requested locally, these faculties may also receive assistance in de-

veloping a center for excellence in wood technology. The technical assistance will help encour-age foreign and local investment support for local entrepreneurs in this sector. It will also serve to improve the competitiveness of this key part of the Bosnian economy. Funding for this third objective has not yet been obtained. The BHF is actively seek-ing funding from donor organizations and companies in order to carry out the train-ing as described above. Partners and funders: BHF; the Swiss Im-port Promotion Programme (SIPPO); the Swiss Organization for Facilitating Invest-ments (SOFI); the Center for Development and Cooperation, Berne University of Ap-plied Sciences for Architecture, Civil and Wood Engineering (HSB), Biel/Burgdorf, USAID’s Cluster Competitiveness Activ-ity, Sarajevo.

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Annex A List of attending and interested companies and organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Western Europe (Swit-zerland, Austria, Germany and Italy)

PROJECT PARTNERS

The Business Humanitarian Forum (BHF)7-9 Chemin de Balexert1219 Chatelaine/ GenevaSwitzerland

Tel.: +41(0) 22 795 1800Fax: +41 (0) 22 798 1809Email: [email protected]: http://www.bhforum.org

Attending representatives: Mr. John Maresca, Mr. John King, Ms. Emily Talmon l’Armée, Mr. Roberto Dotta, Ms. Brigitte Scherrer, Ms. Maria King, Mr. Le Gong _____________________________________________________________________

School of Architecture, Civil and Wood Engineering HSBSolothurnstrasse 102 Postfach CH-2500 Biel 6 Switzerland

Tel.: +41 (0)32 344 03 96 Fax: +41 (0)32 344 03 90 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.hsb.bfh.ch

Attending representative: Mr. Kurt Wüthrich

Brief description:

CDC is the specialized center for development cooperation at the Berne University of Applied Sciences , School of Architecture, Civil and Wood Engineering HSB in Switzerland. The primary objective of the CDC in this project is to provide professional knowledge to wood processing com-panies and training centers of Bosnia & Herzegovina through different forms of capacity building. CDC is interested to create additional projects /activities in favour of the BiH wood processing sector. _____________________________________________________________________

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco) Start-up FundStauffacherstrasse 45 8026 Zurich 4


Switzerland

Tel.: +41 (0)44 249 27 17 Fax: +41 (0)44 249 31 33Cell: +41 (0)79 254 09 51 Email : [email protected]: http://www.sofi.ch/global/seco/main.html

Attending representative: Mr. Hans-Peter Achermann

Brief description: The SSF is a credit facility established by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco) in 1997. The administration of the fund was delegated to the Swiss Organization for Facilitating In-vestments (SOFI). This fund is designed to promote private sector investment projects in countries with economies under development or in transition._____________________________________________________________________

Swiss Organisation for Facilitating Investments (SOFI)Stauffacherstrasse 458026 Zurich 4 Switzerland

Tel.: +41 (0)44 249 47 98Fax: +41 (0)44 249 31 33Email: [email protected]: http://www.sofi.ch

Attending representative: Ms. Marietta Frey

Brief description: SOFI’s role is to promote investment projects between companies in Switzerland and OECD coun-tries, and counterparts in countries with developing and transition economies, and to enable the transfer of capital, technological expertise and managerial know-how through this process. _____________________________________________________________________

Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO)Stampfenbachstrasse 85 P.O. Box 492 8035 Zurich Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)44 365 54 62Fax: +41 (0)44 365 52 00Email: [email protected]: www.sippo.ch

Attending representative: Mr. Adrian Bretscher

Brief description: SIPPO is an economic development instrument of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (seco), based on a special mandate. Its primary objective with regard to this project is to assist and support the export development of the private sector in Bosnia & Herzegovina and the import into Switzerland and the European Union.

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_____________________________________________________________________

USAID’s Cluster Competitiveness Activity

Sarajevo OfficeHamdije Kresevljakovica 19, 5th floor71 000 SarajevoBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel: +387 33 206 905; 206 907Fax: +387 33 202 972Email: [email protected]: http://www.usaidcca.ba/?lang=eng

Contact Person: Mr. Luksa Soljan

Brief description: The Cluster Competitiveness Activity (CCA), sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International De-velopment (USAID) is a four year program to assist businesses in sectors with great potential for economic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina: wood processing and tourism._____________________________________________________________________

Official representation from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BerneThorackerstrasse 33074 Muri b. BernTel.: +41 (0)31 351 10 77

Attending representatives: Amb. Jasmina Pasalic, Mr. Halilovic

Permanent Mission of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Nations, GenevaRue Lamartine 22 bis1203 Geneva

Attending representatives: Amb. Jadranka Kalmeta, Mr. Mirza Pinjo_____________________________________________________________________

COMPANIES FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Daccomet AG Dufourstrasse 1078008 ZürichSwitzerland

Tel.: +41 (0)79 207 62 56Fax: +41 (0)41 383 68 05Email: [email protected]

Attending representative: Mr. Edin Dacic

Brief description:

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Daccomet’s company in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Standard AD Prnjavor, produces veneered fur-niture and a combination of veneered and massive furniture.

The company is interested in exploring new market opportunities._____________________________________________________________________

Dusa komerc. d.o.oUl. Gracanickih gazija bb75320 GracanicaBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)35 708 220 / 221 / 222Fax: +387 (0)35 708 223Email: [email protected] : www.dusa-a.com.ba

Attending representative: Mr. Ahmed Mehic

Brief description: Dusa produces wooden doors and windows.

The company is interested in new markets and potentially also in joint ventures to achieve its expansion plans. _____________________________________________________________________

I.G.M. International d.o.o LaktasiVeliko Blasko bbLaktasiBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)65 512 850Email: [email protected]

Attending representative: Mr. Zoran Pavlovic

Brief description: I.G.M produces dried lumber, elements for furniture and parquet.

The company is interested in new markets and joint-ventures to achieve its expansion plans._____________________________________________________________________

Konles Arkada d.o.o Magistralni put bb75 300 Lukavac Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tel: +387 (0)35 553 710, 554 059Fax: +387 (0)35 553 810Email: [email protected]: http://www.konles-arkada.ba/

Attending representatives: Mr. Vedran Becirovic / Ms. Milica Lozic

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Brief description: Konles produces mainly wooden roofs, construction wood and prefabricated houses.

The company is interested in new markets as well as business cooperations._____________________________________________________________________

KONTINENTAL d.o.o KiseljakGromiljak bb71250 KiseljakBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0) 30 872 133Fax: +387 (0) 30 872 134Email: [email protected]: www.kontinental.biz

Attending representative: Mr. Damir Bencun

Brief description: Kontinental produces high quality windows, doors and garden houses.

The company is interested in new markets for its products. _____________________________________________________________________

LIGNUM d.o.o.Bišće polje – Konjusi bb88000 MostarBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)36 352 635, 352 636Fax: +387 (0)36 350 304Mob.: +387 (0)61 190 655Email: [email protected]: www.lignumcentar.com

Attending representatives: Mr. Zdravko Vojvodic / Mr. Damir Spahovic

Brief description: Lignum produces/assembles kitchens, produces parquet and furniture.

The company is interested in new markets, particularly for its kitchens._____________________________________________________________________

Plena BiH d.o.o.Froburgstrasse 294052 BaselSwitzerland / Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mob.: +41 (0)76 338 7603 Email: [email protected]: www.plenabih.ba

Attending representative: Mr. Mehmed Kirlic

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Brief description:Plena produces high quality solid wood flooring made of oak.

The company is interested in new markets for its products._____________________________________________________________________

Primus d.o.o MaglajZeljeznicka bb74250 MaglajBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)61 153 456Email: [email protected]: www.primus-maglaj.com

Attending representative: Mr. Nesib Serhatlic

Brief description: Primus has two main lines of business, building constructions and producing doors and windows.

The company is interested in finding new markets for its products_____________________________________________________________________

Promo d.o.o.770 Slavne brdske brigade bb70 220 Donji VakufBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)30 205360Fax: +378 (0)30 205046Email: [email protected]: www.promo.ba

Attending representative: Ms. Senada Colak

Brief description: Promo is specialized in prefabricated facilities, roofs, carpentry, soft wood flooring strips, paneling and interiors.

The company is interested in finding new markets for its products. _____________________________________________________________________

Secom d.o.o VisokoArnautovići bb71300 VisokoBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel: +387 (0)32 737-700, 735-844Fax: +387 (0)32 737 701Mob.: +387 (0)61 696 253Email: [email protected]: www.secom.ba

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Attending representative: Mr. Sanin Hasanic

Brief description: The company produces mainly solid wood panels, and panel elements for furniture.

It is interested in new markets and in joint-ventures to achieve its expansion plans. _____________________________________________________________________

Sejdic Commerce d.o.o Redže Porobića b.b.76290 OdžakBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)31 761 545 Fax: +387 (0)31 761 545Email : [email protected]: http://www.sejdic-commerce.com/

Attending representative: Ms. Safeta Sejdic

Brief description: Sejdic produces solid wood doors and windows.

The company is interested in increasing exports, acquiring new foreign investments for equipment, and partnering for outsourcing projects. _____________________________________________________________________

TOP WOOD d.o.o VitezBuhine kuce bb72250 VitezBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)30 771 833Fax: +387 (0) 30 711 833Mob.: +387 (0)63 334 353Email: [email protected]: www.topwood.ba

Representative: Mr. Slaven Buhic

Brief description: Top Wood produces wood floor covers.

The company is interested in exploring joint-venture possibilities and in new markets. _____________________________________________________________________

Verem d.o.o MostarPrigradani bb88000 MostarBosnia and Herzegovina

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Tel: +387 (0)36 588 120Fax: +387 (0)36 588 252Email: [email protected]: http://www.verem.ba

Attending representative: Mr. Midhat Verem

Brief description: Verem produces mainly beech lumber both steamed and non-steamed, dried beech, pallete ele-ments and beech strips in all dimensions.

The company is interested in new markets and in joint-ventures in order to achieve its expansion plans._____________________________________________________________________

VUKELIĆ d.o.o.Aleksandrovac bb78244 AleksandrovacBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)51 580 312Fax: +387 (0)51 580 327Email: [email protected]

Attending representatives: Ms Anina Bundalo Dimitrijevic

Brief description: Vukelic produces mainly solid wood boards.

The company is interested in increasing its production capacity for solid wood boards and the level of processing and is thus interested in business partnerships and in new markets. _____________________________________________________________________

COMPANIES FROM WESTERN EUROPE

B&B Strada Provinciale 3222060 Novedrate (CO)Italy

Tel.: +39 031 795 111Fax: +39 031 791714Email: [email protected]: www.bebitalia.it

Attending representative: Mr. Andrea Gorlezza

Brief description: B&B produces a large range of furniture and wooden decoration elements.

The company is interested in importing elements and finger joint furniture from Bosnia and Herze-govina.

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_____________________________________________________________________

Fundermax Klagenfurter Straße 87 - 899300 St.Veit/GlanAustria

Tel: +43 (0) 5 9494-4735Fax: +43 (0) 5 9494-4680Mob: +43 (0) 664 6196720Email: [email protected]: www.fundermax.at

Attending representative: Mr. Moritz Goess

Brief description: Fundermax produces compact panels, laminated chipboards decor, raw chipboards, semi-finished parts (worktops, sills, etc.), natural fiber materials, impregnated papers and other laminated panels (as CPL and HPL).

The company is interested to meet potential customers of the furniture industry, distributor of wood/timber material, investors in stores, hotels, and the infrastructure industry (hospitals and kitchen industry). _____________________________________________________________________

miCanDo Parkett Lerzenstrasse 208953 Dietikon ZHSwitzerland

Tel.: +41 (0)44 741 5161Fax: +41 (0)44 741 51 60Email: [email protected]: http://www.micando.com

Attending representative: Mr. Larry Edith

Brief description: miCanDo produces and deals with parquet.

The company is interested in investment in / partnership with a BiH company and interested to meet with parquet producers. _____________________________________________________________________

Oertli Werkzeuge AG Hofstrasse 18181 HöriSwitzerland

Tel.: +41 (0)44 863 75 11Fax: +41 (0)44860 59 29Email: [email protected]: http://www.oertli.ch/

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Attending representative: Mr. Paul Oertli

Brief description: Oertli produces high precision machine tools to work on wood and plastic materials (doors and windows)

The company is particularly interested to meet with producers of doors and windows._____________________________________________________________________

RWD Schlatter AG St. Gallerstrasse 219325 RoggwilSwitzerland

Tel.: +41 (0)71 454 63 41Fax: +41 (0)71 454 63 63Email: [email protected]: http://www.rwdschlatter.ch/rwdschlatter/de/

Attending representative: Mr. Roland Jossi

Brief description: RWD Schlatter produces a wide range of doors. It’s also a market leader for safety doors in Swit-zerland.

RWD Schlatter is interested in meeting companies producing wooden door frames (both solid and finger-joint constructions). _____________________________________________________________________

Sertec Strada in Valle 3828062 Cameri (NO)Italy

Tel.: +39 032 1517728Fax: +39 032 1517720Email: [email protected] / [email protected]: www.sertelfit.it

Attending representative: Mr. Marco Quirino / Mr. Alessandro Doni

Brief description: Sertec produces wooden windows and doors.

The company is interested to enter the prefabricated houses business, perhaps through a joint-ven-ture with a company from BiH and is also keen on meeting producers of windows and doors._____________________________________________________________________

Weinig Group Representation in Bosnia and HerzegovinaPatriotske Lige 4171000 Sarajevo

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Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tel.: +387 (0)33 554 630Fax: +387 (0)33 554 631Email: [email protected]: www.weinig.de

Attending representative: Mr. Nedim Kolasinac

Brief company description:The Weinig Group is one of the leading manufacturer of machinery for the solid wood processing industry. WEINIG offers comprehensive services and system solutions – all the way to complete turnkey production plants.

Weinig is interested to meet with companies in the wood processing sector._____________________________________________________________________

The organizers are still awaiting the feedback of some more companies from Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

OTHER PARTICIPANTS

StrikConsulting d.o.o.Obala Kulina bana 5/2SarajevoBosnia and Herzegovina

Tel: +387 33 223 321Fax: +387 33 203 906Emails: [email protected] / [email protected] : www.strikconsulting.com

Attending representatives: Mr. Fuad Strik and Mr. Amir Redzic

Brief description: StrikConsulting aims to provide highly professional advisory services for domestic and interna-tional clients operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the West Balkan region. _____________________________________________________________________

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe / Food and Agriculture Trade DevelopmentUNECE Trade and Timber Division, Palais des Nations1211 Geneva 10Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)22 917 28 70Fax: +41 (0)22 917 00 41Email: [email protected]: www.unece.org/trade/timber

Attending representatives: Mr. Douglas Clark

23


Press Release

Geneva, Zurich – May 3, 2006

Meeting at the Business Humanitarian Forum in Geneva on May 11:

Developing Business Partnerships in the Wood Processing Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina

___________________________________________________________________________________

The Business Humanitarian Forum (BHF), a Geneva-based non-profit association that works with public

and private sector partners to address humanitarian problems and to promote sustainable economic

development in post-conflict and other developing countries, is organizing a meeting in Geneva on May

11 to develop business and trade partnerships in the wood processing sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The goal of the contact group meeting is to encourage and to assist in facilitating foreign investment and

business partnerships between companies from Western Europe (Switzerland, Germany, Italy and

Austria) and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Such business and trade collaborations as well as the technical

assistance with regard to European standards will provide much needed support for one of Bosnia’s

most promising economic sectors and will potentially open new and interesting markets for both sides.

This meeting is organized by the BHF, with strong support from the Swiss Import Promotion

Programme (SIPPO), the Swiss Organization for Facilitating Investments (SOFI), the Center for

Development and Cooperation (CDC) at the Berne University of Applied Sciences of Architecture, Civil

and Wood Engineering (HSB) and USAID’s Cluster Competitiveness Activity in Sarajevo. The meeting

also receives support from the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Berne.

The May 11 meeting is part of the BHF’s more comprehensive program for Bosnia and Herzegovina

which also addresses the training situation in the country’s wood processing sector.

The Wood Processing Sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina has a long tradition of manufacturing quality wooden products, and companies

in this sector have been present throughout the wood value chain. As a result of the war, however,

secondary wood processing activities have declined. The sector is currently going through restructuring.

Both the privatization processes of forestry companies, as well as the damage caused by the war, have

changed the way in which this industry works. Many Bosnian companies are currently in the process of

shifting their companies’ production. The objective of our meeting is thus also to enhance the production

capabilities and technical know-how in-country.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Contact person for further details:

Mr. Roberto Dotta, Project Officer, Business Humanitarian Forum, Tel: +41 (0)22 795 18 08

Email: [email protected]

Further information on the project partners: BHF: www.bhforum.org / SIPPO: www.sippo.ch / SOFI:

www.sofi.ch /CDC: http://www.hsb.bfh.ch/hsb/de/fe/international/ / USAID: http://www.usaidcca.ba/?lang=eng

Annex B1

24


Annex B2

Pressemitteilung

Genf, Zürich – 3. Mai 2006

Meeting am 11. Mai zwischen Bosnischen und Westeuropäischen Firmen aus dem

Holzverarbeitungssektor am Business Humanitarian Forum in Genf ___________________________________________________________________________________

Das Business Humanitarian Forum (BHF) ist eine non-profit Organisation in Genf, die mit privaten und öffentlichen Partnern zusammenarbeitet, um nachhaltige Lösungen für humanitäre Probleme zu finden und wirtschaftliche Entwicklungsprojekte in Nachkriegsregionen und Entwicklungsländern durchzuführen.

Am 11. Mai organisiert das Business Humanitarian Forum ein Meeting in Genf, um Wirtschafts- und Handelsbeziehungen zwischen Firmen aus dem Holzverarbeitungssektor in Bosnien und Herzegovina und Westeuropa (Schweiz, Deutschland, Italien und Österreich) zu fördern.

Das Treffen von Firmenvertretern in diesem für Bosnien so wichtigen Sektor sowie die technische Unterstützung hinsichtlich Europäischer Standards und Zertifizierungsprozessen ist Teil des BHF Programs in Bosnien und Herzegovina.

Das Meeting wird vom Business Humanitarian Forum organisiert und dabei von folgenden Partnern unterstützt: Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO), Swiss Organization for Facilitating Investments (SOFI), Center for Development and Cooperation (CDC) der Berner Fachhochschule für Architektur, Bau und Holz (HSB), USAID’s Cluster Competitiveness Activity in Sarajevo. Vertreter der Botschaft von Bosnien und Herzegovina in Bern werden ebenfalls am Treffen teilnehmen.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Kontakperson für weitere Informationen:

Hr. Roberto Dotta, Project Officer, Business Humanitarian Forum, Tel.: +41 (0)22 795 18 08 E-mail: [email protected]

Websites der Projektpartner: BHF: www.bhforum.org / SIPPO: www.sippo.ch / SOFI: www.sofi.ch /CDC:

http://www.hsb.bfh.ch/hsb/de/fe/international/ / USAID: http://www.usaidcca.ba/?lang=eng

25


Annex B3Official communiqué published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (http://www.mvp.gov.ba/)

Cilj sastanka kontakt grupe je da poslovna i trgovinska saradnja, kao i tehnièka pomoæ, u skladu sa evropskim standardima, doprinese podsticanju stranih investicija i poslovne saradnje izmeðu kompanija iz Bosne i Hercegovine i Zapadne Evrope (Švicarska, Nje-maèka, Italija i Austrija) u drvopreraðivaèkom sektoru u BiH, kao i otvaranju novih intere-santnih tržišta.

U toku rada sastanka ostvareni su i neposredni, bilateralni kontakti predstavnika zaintere-siranih firmi iz BiH i Italije, Austrije, Švicarske i Njemaèke radi utvrðivanja moguænosti saradnje od obostranog interesa u oblasti drvopreraðivaèke industrije. Za daljnji nastavak aktivnosti nadležne su pojedinaène firme.

Ambasadorka BiH u Bernu Jasmina Pašaliæ je pozdravila prisutne privrednike, a ujedno najavila da æe uskoro biti organizovana «fact finding» misija odgovarajuæih švicarskih in-stitucija Bosni i Hercegovini. Sastanak je ocijenila vrlo dobrim i istakla da je to bila prilika da se ostvare poèetni kontakti partnera iz drvopreraðivaèke oblasti.

Business Humanitarian Forum (BHF) neprofitna orga-nizacija sa sjedištem u Ženevi, koja sa partnerima iz ja-vnog i privatnog sektora radi na promociji održivog eko-nomskog razvoja u post-konfliktnim i ostalim zemljama u razvoju, je uz saradnju sa Ambasadom BiH u Bernu, 11. 5. 2006. godine u Ženevi organizovala sastanak, ko-jem su prisustvovali predstavnici 14 drvopreraðivaèkih firmi iz Bosne i Hercegovine, kao i predstavnici neko-liko firmi iz Italije, Austrije, Njemaèke i Švicarske.


Annex C

27

The Business Humanitarian ForumMaison Internationale de l’Environnement II7-9 Chemin de Balexert, 1219 Châtelaine (Geneva), SwitzerlandTel: +41 (0)22 795 1800 Fax: +41 (0)22 795 1809E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bhforum.org

full meeting report - business humanitarian forum group meeting report 2006.pdf · 3/5/2006 ·...

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