Key advisors on economic policy are in Belfast today to advise on how to maximise the long-term prosperity of the city.
Key advisors on economic policy - all members of the internationally renowned Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) - are making recommendations to city leaders at a conference in the Waterfront Hall.
Some 150 delegates are due at the conference - academics and senior executives from the public and private sector - as well as experts in economic regeneration and development.
The city council-organised State of the City gathering will reveal the findings of a year-long review of Belfast's economic development activities.
It will also address a series of issues:
- How the competitiveness of Belfast can be improved by co-ordinating the
private, public, voluntary and community sectors; - How the Belfast economy should be developed so that all its residents
benefit; - How best to develop the city centre to ensure maximum benefits for the
metropolitan area and Northern Ireland as a whole; - How to develop relationships with the Republic of Ireland, particularly the
Belfast-Dublin corridor.
Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers said: "We are delighted to have the expertise of the OECD's Local Economic and Employment Development Programme focused on our city.
"Today we'll hear what these international experts think is the best way forward for Belfast to ensure long-term prosperity, not just for the city, but for Northern Ireland as a whole."
Michael Browne, chairman of the Belfast City Council's Development Committee, added: "For more than 40 years the OECD has advised governments from across the world on economic issues. It has worked with more than 100 countries to share expertise and exchange views."