South African President Thabo Mbeki will give the keynote address at the Congress opening ceremony on June 20, alongside the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal province, Sbu Ndebele, as well as Zulu King Goodwill Zwelthini, who will welcome delegates from around the world, a press release by ICC stated.

The three-day conference addresses the themes that chambers have identified as the most important issues facing their organization and member companies.

Topics to be covered include the role of business institutions in both good governance and the rebuilding of economies, chamber branding, public and private sector partnerships, women in chambers of commerce, ATA Carnets, Certificates of Origin, chambers and the HIV challenge, as well as the environment and business diversity.

Organizers hope that holding the conference in Africa will enable many chambers from developing countries in the region to attend, thus opening the door for discussions and partnerships with chambers from industrialized countries.

Since the first World Chambers Congress in Marseille in 1999, the biennial World Chambers Congress has quickly established itself as the place where chambers of commerce from around the world come together to share best-practices and develop networks.

"Since its inception six years ago, the World Chambers Congress has moved from strength to strength, attracting a consistently high caliber of speakers and more and more delegates each time," Chair of the World Chambers Federation, Avijit Mazumdar, said.

"There is no other global forum of this magnitude and scope available to chambers, which is why it is seen as the premier meeting of its kind," he added.

The World Chambers Competition has been designed to bring international recognition to local chambers, to foster the continued pursuit of excellence, and to encourage the exchange of information and business development among chambers.