Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak to open Rolex Middle East Forum on November 19

The Rolex Middle East Forum - "Encouraging Innovation for the Next Generation" - is a high-level public event developed by the Rolex Awards for Enterprise in association with the Higher Colleges of Technology.

The day-long forum, to be held at the Madinat Theatre at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, comprises three panel sessions focused on subjects of importance to the region: the state of science and innovation in the MENA region, the preservation of cultural heritage and the natural environment, and the role of women as forces for social change.

The Rolex Middle East Forum will feature nine international experts from diverse disciplines and nine of their counterparts from across the UAE and the region, and moderators Hala Gorani, of CNN International, and celebrated media personality Georges Kordahi of MBC. World-renowned heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, pioneering NASA astronaut Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, and former Ecuadorian environment minister Yolanda Kakabadse are among the distinguished panelists confirmed.

Dr. Tayeb Kamali, Vice Chancellor of the UAE Higher Colleges of Technology system and Group CEO of the Centre of Excellence, Research and Training (CERT), is among the regional panelists confirmed for the forum. Other regional speakers include Sayyid Sulaiman Mohammed Al Busaidi, Adviser to the Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, Government of Oman; Abdul Aziz Al Midfa, Director General, Environment and Protected Areas, Government of Sharjah; and Najla Al Awadhi, Member of the UAE Federal National Council.

Rebecca Irvin, Director of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, based in Geneva, Switzerland, said:

"Rolex is convening this special high-level forum in the UAE because we believe in the region's potential for innovation and enterprise, and respect its commitment to improving life on our planet. Through the forum, we hope to offer a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences, valuable dialogue and relationship-building."

"The UAE is an outstanding example of the steady socio-political progress being made in the Gulf countries, progress that we feel the rest of the world should know more about," she added. "We are particularly confident in the abilities of this region's young men and women, and hope to contribute to broadening their horizons in this way. Our growing relationship with the UAE Higher Colleges of Technology is a vital step in achieving these goals."

"The Rolex Middle East Forum is our way of sharing our accumulated knowledge and expertise of the last 32 years with the MENA region, which is why we have created the forum as a public event," Irvin added. "We strongly encourage those government departments, members of the academic community and young men and women to attend and interact with some of the most interesting and inspiring individuals of our time."

Irvin thanked His Highness Sheikh Nahayan for his support of the Rolex Forum, and noted his commitment to the nation's future generations.

The Rolex Middle East Forum will be the culmination of a series of UAE events being planned around the official 2008 Rolex Awards for Enterprise ceremony that will take place in Dubai on November 18, 2008. The private gathering, traditionally held in Geneva and world capitals, including New York, Singapore, Paris and Tokyo, is being held in the Middle East for the first time.

For the past three decades, the Rolex Awards have assisted men and women around the world who are quietly advancing human knowledge and well-being through pioneering work in five broad areas: science and medicine, technology and innovation, exploration and discovery, the environment, and cultural heritage.

The Rolex Middle East Forum will be moderated by CNN International's Hala Gorani and MBC's Georges Kordahi.