HH Sheikh Mohammed inaugurates 4th Annual Arab Strategy Forum

Among those attending the forum are H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and H.E. Dr. Ahmed Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt and Lakhdar Brahimi, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General.

Held under the theme "Creating Opportunity from Change", the event will continue until 6 December.

Giving the opening address Egypt's Prime Minister H.E. Dr Ahmed Nazif said that without a resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, stability and economic development, in the Middle East, would be adversely affected.

Highlighting the most pressing challenges facing change in the Arab World, Dr. Nazif highlighted six components of the future regional development agenda, citing the resolution of the Palestinian conflict as the core solution for the alleviation of tension in the Middle East.

Dr. Nazif said: "The Arab Region is subject to numerous political problems, in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan. At the start of the 21st century, the region still lacks the most essential human right, to live in a peaceful, stable homeland.

"There is a definite connection between peace and stability and economic development. However, we cannot wait for peace; neither can we assume that development will establish peace. Economic and political stability are two parallel processes."

Dr Nazif said while Globalisation represents the major economic challenge for the Arab World, there is an urgent need to align all our resources, realize our strengths, identify our weaknesses and determine a way to overcome them in a collective effort.

"The multiple problems facing the Arab World are standing in the way of growth, while eating up its resources. As Arab leaders, we need to unify our goals and utilize all our available resources towards achieving our combined national aspirations."

Political strains have inflicted social pressure, particularly in the depreciation of the economic wealth of citizens and the emergence of a huge cultural and social gap between the region and the rest of the world.

Human development, he stressed, is the main objective of progress and its driving tool. "Efforts should be directed intently towards improving healthcare and education policies, processes, and the ways we deliver those services to meet the public's needs and comply with the necessity of integration with the global system."

Dr. Nazif called for capitalizing efficiently the region's human and natural resources, and identifying its competitive advantages, in order to generate higher revenues.

"Young Entrepreneurs, are a driving force for future growth and development, with the capabilities to build successes not only at the regional level, but also globally."

Dr. Nazif, summarised Egypt's experience over the past two years, in the field of political, social and economic reform. "In our efforts to answer the need to create 800,000 jobs a year, we have encouraged the flow of foreign investments into the country. However we discovered an obstacle lies in the unskilled labour. Therefore, we launched a youth development programme to improve the skills level of the labour force so that they better match market needs," he explained.

Dr. Nazif, pointed out that, as a consequence, economic growth was 6.9% last year and 7.2% in the first quarter of 2006.

The ASF, which has attracted more than 600 distinguished participants and 115 worldwide speakers, is a vehicle for change and a key driver in the reform and policy shaping of governmental and business organisations throughout the Arab world.

Through a powerful network, facilitated working sessions, state-of-the-art technology, exclusive knowledge and informal platforms, the ASF will provide participants with the resources needed to create opportunities for change in their own environments.

Among those participating in this year's event will be influential personalities from the region's business, government and civil society sectors, and internationally-renowned politicians and business leaders.

This year's sessions will be underpinned by bespoke knowledge and research on the Arab world, providing a unique information platform for the continued strategic development of the Middle East and North Africa on the global stage.