On February 21-22, Mr. Said Baransi, Chairman of the Palestinian American Chamber of Commerce, attended the first-ever State Department Global Business Conference along with senior officials from U.S. business support organizations from over 100 countries, including U.S. private sector executives focused on international business; and senior U.S. government leaders from the White House, the Departments of State, Commerce, Treasury and Energy, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, hosted the conference.

Over the course of two days, the conference sought to build over the U.S. President‘s agenda to accelerate America‘s economic renewal through focusing on how the U.S. government can promote U.S. business abroad, increasing U.S. exports, attracting new investment to the United States, and creating American jobs.

On the first day of the conference, Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk gave their opening session remarks, followed by U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas Donohue. Later that day, Secretary Clinton and Boeing Company Chairman, President, and CEO W. James McNerney, Jr. delivered the keynote remarks. The day ended with John Bryson, Secretary of Commerce‘s remarks.

The second day of the conference included breakout sessions focusing on discussions over regional strategies to advance shared economic interests, and was hosted by the State Department‘s regional Assistant Secretaries.