FTDO tackles new challenges facing HR in the region

Featuring a line-up of the world's best speakers, the four-day event is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

H.E. Sultan Al Mansouri, UAE Minister of Economy, said that knowledge and human resources are the new capital for growth, and that public policies have a critical role in human resources development and knowledge management.

"Human resources are increasingly considered as the key to the overall growth of any economy. In the Gulf region, public policies have played a major role in shaping HR strategies and knowledge management for the private sector. In the UAE for example, the government has created an environment for innovation, thus encouraging people to think beyond the ordinary.

"Knowledge is the basic form of capital and economic growth is driven by the accumulation of knowledge. We always need highly evolved human resources which are a very valuable economic resource that can be shaped only through powerful economic policies that are in tune with ground realities," he added.

Today's programme included 15 speakers, and tomorrow has a line-up of 16 esteemed speakers including Lt. General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police.

A key note address today was delivered by Dr. Hischam El Agamy, Director of Corporate Development, IMD - International Institute for Management Development, who said that the world economy has undergone a number of major changes over the last decade.

"Nowadays, fundamental change is linked to the collapse in costs and to diffusing and making use of information. Education is very critical for productivity, and we all have an objective to translate knowledge and skills into execution capabilities in order to produce results which have positive impact on revenues and growth of organizations and the economy in general," Dr. El Agamy said.

"Competitiveness of nations is a field of economic knowledge which analyses the facts and policies that shape the ability of a nation to create and maintain an environment which sustains more value creation for its enterprises and more prosperity for its people," he concluded.

This year's IFTDO event which is hosted by Dubai Police Academy is held under the theme of "Knowledge and Human Resources" and it focuses on four main topics: Knowledge Creation and Human Resource Management, Fast Forward Technologies in Education and Training, Socio-economic Trends, and Knowledge Work Environments.

International speakers at the event include well known names within the training and development field who will place special emphasis on the Middle East's specific needs.

This year's congress is drawing big attention from local, regional and international organisations attracting delegates from over 30 countries.

IFTDO was founded in Geneva in 1972 and is a diversified network of human resource management and organisations that represents more than 500,000 professionals in 50 countries.

Only member countries can bid for the world congress and Dubai's bid was based on the efforts made by the Dubai Police affiliated Security & Administration Science Institute (SASI), established in 1997 to provide training, development, and consultancy services to various types of government authorities and public sector employees and a member of the IFTDO since 2004.