WSIE: Innovation is key to global peace

This was disclosed at one of the townhall meetings during the 2008 World Summit of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (WSIE) - the most inspiring gathering of its kind currently under way in Dubai.

Being organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the 2008 WSIE being held at Jumeirah Beach Hotel till April 3, 2008 has brought together over 800 delegates from all walks of life.

In his opening remarks at the debate focusing on Innovation for Peace - Achieving Greatness, Transforming Societies, Sam Hamdan - the Chairman and Chief Strategist of the Global Leadership Team and Architect of WSIE, said: "The future of the Arab world belongs to the present majority of the youth population. Innovation has a strong potential to achieve tangible social and spiritual transformation to break the veils of poverty, extremism and conflict."

Urging world leaders to commit to solutions that empower young Arab leaders with the knowledge, the resources and the policy environment needed for their successful future, he said: "Two million children die each year for a glass of clean water in Africa. When we are talking about thousands of Iraqi children who do not have access to quality medication whereas they are sitting on one of the largest oil reserves, we are compelled to ask - where is the moral order? The need of the hour, I believe, is that the role of innovation has to be improved because the entire future of the Arab world depends on this."

In her comments on the well-orchestrated debate, Her Excellency Fatima Al Balushi, Minister of Social Development in Bahrain, talked about how the Kingdom had collaborated with the private sector to empower people. "We have successfully epitomized the concept of micro-entrepreneurship - the first of its kind in the region, in close partnership with the government and private sector, which has transformed the lives of the needy and poor sections in the county. Poverty is a state of mind and it is imperative that the mindset has to be changed," she said.

Voicing the vital role played by the corporate sector to global peace, Dan Shine, Vice-President of 50X15 Initiative from Advanced Micro Devices Inc., said that the mindset towards Corporate Social Responsibility has changed over the last 6-7 years. "The movement towards the CSR initiatives is positive and corporates are seeing its pivotal role in the long-term business strategy. This is very important to demonstrate that the private-public partnership would lead to better prosperity and peace," he said.

Talking about the need of innovative social movement for global peace, Neil Turok, Chairman of the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences, said it is necessary that Africa should find its place of pride in the global innovation milieu. "I want to see Africa make leading contribution to science, which will lead to a spin-off in creating innovative ventures across the region," he said.

In his comments, Ashok Soota, Founder and Chairman of Mindtree, said that private sector could be a huge driving force for innovation and peace, by marrying its business objectives with social objectives. Less of religion and more of spirituality is the buzzword, felt Soota.

Commenting on the debate, Dr Vincent Biruta, President of the Senate/ Parliament of Rwanda, it is necessary to look beyond the ordinary and benefit from these applications across the private and public participation.

While Mishel Elefteriades, renowned artist and activist, felt that music was only good for showbiz and profits, Icon Rives, the well-known multimedia poet and artist, felt that entertainment has its own value in innovating and uniting people on a common platform. Marc Yu, Pianist Prodigy, felt that music as a language has the ability to break cultural and communications barriers.

More than 800 attendees are expected over the three days of innovation theatres, interactive workshops and thematic experiences to build a foundation for increased innovation. The 2008 WSIE presents an impressive line-up of remarkable leaders and personalities including designers, policymakers, technologists, communicators, spiritual gurus, economists, storytellers, humanitarians, chief executives and musicians from across the globe.

The 2008 WSIE is supported by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), multiple agencies of the United Nations, the African Union and leading international business councils and multinational corporations. Strategic sponsors include Sorouh, HP, Agility, Geopost, Nokia Siemens Networks with CNBC Arabiya as the official broadcaster and Emirates Airlines as the official carrier.