I take this opportunity to congratulate the organisers of E-Business 2004 and welcome the delegates from member countries of AFACT to participate in the event in Karachi.
E-Business event is held annually in one of the 16 member countries of AFACT and provides an opportunity to the delegates to share the experience of their respective countries in e-Linking businesses, industries, citizens, financial sector and Government.
International and local exhibitors display state of the art solutions and the participants benefit from the developments and R&D presented by renowned speakers during the international conference.
The event has significant importance as it provide a single platform to discuss E-Payment, E-Government, E-Commerce and E-Logistics integration that includes trade facilitation for international trade and services.
While East Asian countries have taken the lead in E-Business readiness during the last decade and are following UN/CEFACT standards to strengthen their economy, holding of this year's event in Pakistan has a special significance for us as efforts to enhance E-Business readiness here have gained momentum only recently.
This event provides a unique opportunity to Pakistani organisations and individuals involved with E-Business not only to update their understanding about the latest developments in the regional context to enable adoption of international best practices by Pakistan but also to develop a holistic understanding of the recent domestic developments in this respect.
The consequent enhanced integration of policy framework and e-business practices, domestically and regionally, is expected to accelerate E-Business readiness leading ultimately to increased international trade for Pakistan.
I wish every success to this event.