Kofi Annan to address Leaders in Dubai Forum 2007

The Nobel Peace Prize recipient will address the influence of diplomacy on corporate leadership and social responsibility in the Middle East.

'We are honoured to have Kofi Annan at this year's Forum,' said Alan Kelly, Event Director, IIR. 'His address is very timely as bilateral diplomacy is an integral component to the success of commercial globalisation. Today there is an increasingly urgent need for businesses and governments, particularly those in the Middle East and China, to forge effective and beneficial corporate diplomacy programmes.'

Throughout his tenure, Annan was instrumental in building closer partnerships with global businesses, civil societies and labour organisations whose strengths complemented those of the UN. As a result, joint initiatives were adopted like the 'Global Compact,' which promotes corporate social responsibility.

A lifelong bureaucrat, Annan is praised for his leadership and proficiency in reforming the United Nations, overhauling peacekeeping operations and forging partnerships with the world business community. During his two-terms as Secretary-General from 1997 through 2006, Annan also was commended by fellow diplomats for steadfastly confronting the tough issues of the Middle East, Iraq and Libya. Annan also is credited with persuading the UN to establish the Peace Building Commission and the Human Right Council, new inter-governmental bodies dedicated to global peace and welfare.

The theme for this year's Leaders in Dubai Business Forum is 'Networking for the Present, Ideas for the Future'. The line-up of prominent speakers includes: Robert S. Kaplan, co-creator of the Balanced Scorecard and Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard University; Steve Forbes, President, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine; Malcolm Gladwell, author of critically acclaimed book The Tipping Point; Professor Muhammed Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and founder of Grameen Bank; and Dr. Philip Kotler, marketing guru and the S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Chicago.

Last year more than 1,800 participants, including royalty, current and former heads of government, as well as delegates from more than 40 countries participated in the prestigious two-day Forum.

In its fourth year, the Leaders in Dubai Business Forum 2007 is the region's largest conference for the local and international business community to learn from leading experts and network with successful, like-minded individuals.