The Economic Division of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs leads Israel’s economic diplomacy in the international arena. In this role, the division is responsible for a variety of international economic issues in different arenas (bilateral, regional and global), including international economic organizations, such as the OECD. A central goal of the division and the Israeli diplomatic missions abroad is to help in preserving and developing international markets for Israeli companies abroad, through the extensive network of contacts of the 108 diplomatic missions around the world and the hundreds of Israeli diplomats stationed there. The economic work abroad is carried out in coordination and cooperation with the Ministries of Economy and Finance and their representatives stationed abroad. Our embassies also help non-Israeli companies and non-Israeli entities establish useful contacts with relevant partners in Israel: governmental, private, academic, civil society and more.
Promoting activities in various economic fields
Economic issues occupy a central place in the realm of international relations. A clear example of this is the centrality of the climate crisis in the international diplomatic discourse. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the potential of Israeli innovation in helping to mitigate the crisis. Dealing with the climate change is one of the core issues of the Economic Division. Thus, this year the division held an inter-sector seminar following the COP28 international climate conference and discussing the road to COP29, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan this November. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a central role in the national preparation for the international climate conferences and a senior diplomat has been appointed as the national coordinator for this conference. Recently, the economic division held an international panel at PlaneTech conference. Also, the division directed Israel’s missions abroad to designate at least 40% of the economic activity budget for activities dedicated to the topic of climate.
A number of prominent examples of economic activities from the past few months are: A delegation of over 20 Israeli companies in the water sector visited the State of Arizona in the USA, business delegations in the Food Tech sector held business meetings in Bangkok and Geneva, participation of ambassadors in business webinars in collaboration with the Israel Export Institute, etc. The Economic Division is in close contact with the economic ministries of the Government, as well as the major economic organizations in Israel, in order to promote activities in various economic fields, including trade, investments, agriculture and water, aviation, maritime transport, tourism, innovation, technology and more.
Photos courtesy of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Attracting investments to Israel
The October 7th terror attack on Israel and the war which followed emphasized the resilience of the Israeli economy. It also highlighted the importance of continued economic cooperation with foreign companies and Governments. In recent months, the division has been working to secure the ongoing economic activity in the country, including in the areas of trade, civil aviation and maritime transportation, securing supply chains, assisting in facilitating the arrival of foreign workers to Israel with an emphasis on the fields of agriculture and construction and much more. A special attention is given by the division to the field of foreign investments to Israel with the motto: “Israeli tech. delivers no matter what!”.
The Economic Division and Israeli diplomatic missions abroad remain at the service of the Israeli market and are ready to utilize our extensive network to promote Israel’s business interests abroad.
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