Dubai School of Government hosts 140 experts and intellectuals in the State of the Region Forum 2008

The theme of this year's Forum was 'Leveraging Opportunity, Managing Risk.'

The State of the Region (SOR) Forum is an annual event bringing together key public and private sector representatives - including top policy makers, executives, and thought leaders from the United Arab Emirates and neighboring Gulf Countries - with a select group of leading experts. The event provided a unique opportunity to examine and analyze key trends and critical developments affecting the Arab world.

Ahmed bin Byat, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, inaugurated the forum which he describes as 'a unique opportunity to study and analyze the latest developments affecting the Arab world, and to benefit from the presence of some of the world's most renowned experts with us here to determine future action to be taken in light of these developments'.

Bin Byat considered that 'Dubai is the ideal location to hold this annual forum. Over the last few years, Dubai has taken giant steps, and has succeeded in developing all aspects of its economic life. It has produced a model of success in all sectors through cooperating with and benefiting from the best international experts, who have found in Dubai a fertile environment for achieving a unique success in the Middle East and the world.'

He also thanked the Dubai school of government, 'a leading institution in Dubai which is seeking to realize sustainable development in the region, relying on its position as a connection for knowledge between the Arab world and the international community. By organizing forums and conferences such as the State of the Region, and through its partnerships with leading academic institutions, the School is serving to increase the region's knowledge capacity.

Bin Byat called upon participants to fully benefit from this Forum and consider it a strategic planning retreat, providing critical input needed in order to develop scenarios and assess the future of this fast growing and rapidly transforming part of the world. He invited them to seize this golden opportunity to get strategic insights on the geopolitical, socioeconomic, and institutional trends likely to emerge over the next decade in the Middle East in an attempt to avoid any negative impact that could result from them.

The event was a strategic planning retreat that provided critical input needed to develop scenarios and assess the future of the fast growing and rapidly transforming part of the world. As an invitation-only event with discussions led by regional and international experts, the exclusive and intimate half-day gathering was divided into three panels dealing with strategic insights on the geopolitical, socioeconomic, and institutional trends likely to emerge over the next decade in the Middle East.

The first panel entitled 'Emerging Global Powers: The Evolving Role of the GCC' highlighted the key geopolitical and macroeconomic developments, both globally and within the region. Among the featured panelists was Ambassador Edward Djerejian, founding Director, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, United States who spoke of the ongoing transition that America is undergoing and its implications for the region in the years ahead. The discussion which ensued spoke on the shifts in the political and economic power relationships, both on regional and global levels, as well as the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead for the GCC.

The second item on the agenda was the panel presentation called 'Maintaining the Growth Momentum.' It provided insight on how the Gulf economies can build on their recent growth momentum and as well as manage the risks associated with rising domestic inflation and external instability in the world economy. Ramzi El Hafez, Publisher of Business Week Arabia, Lebanon, highlighted the trade offs that can be found in the GCC economies today as well as spoke on possible future developments. The discussion went on to focus on how the region can consolidate and build upon the momentum of growth experienced of the past 10 years.

The final session entitled 'Fast Forward: High Impact / Low Probability Scenarios for the Region' presented three varying scenarios on what the future may hold which laid the foundation for both presentations and discussion. This session helped decision makers understand and develop the tools that arise from low-probability, high-impact events. The panelists and discussion both ultimately examined how unforeseen events can explode into major crises.

In his closing remarks, HE Nabil Alyousuf, Executive President of the Dubai School of Government, stated that today's event was meant to 'exemplify the School's commitment to building the strategic knowledge capital of the Arab world, bringing together regional policy makers and some of the world's leading experts.' He emphasized that 'through a better understanding of likely futures for this region, we are better prepared to create the future we desire for ourselves and future generations,'

The forum featured prominent speakers including, Ambassador Edward Djerejian, Founding Director, James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, United States; Vali Nasr, Professor of International Politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, Senior Fellow at Dubai Initiative of Harvard University; Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General, ASEAN, Thailand; and, David Wyss, Chief Economist, Standard and Poor's, United States; Participants also included Chris Power, International Managing Editor, BusinessWeek, United States; Dr. Tarik Yousef, Dean, Dubai School of Government, United Arab Emirates; and, Rami Khouri, Director, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut.