Bahrain announces delegation for World Economic Forum 2009

The Annual Meeting, which will be the largest in its history, is expected to be attended by over 40 heads of state and government, as well as business leaders, NGOs, trade unions and global analysts meeting to address the event's overall theme - Shaping the Post-Crisis World.

The Bahrain delegation is made up of figures from the Government of Bahrain, the Economic Development Board, Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, Gulf Air and Aluminum Bahrain (Alba).

In Davos, the delegation aims to raise awareness of Bahrain on a global stage in order to encourage increased investment into the Kingdom, thus supporting further economic diversification and development in line with Bahrain's Vision 2030. The World Economic Forum will also provide the Bahrain delegation with an opportunity to contribute Bahrain's view on managing the current global crisis as well as share relevant experiences and learn directly from other government and business leaders from across the world.

Speaking on the delegation's visit to the World Economic Forum, Shaikh Mohammed said:

"We recognise the immense need for collaboration in the current global crisis and look forward to sharing Bahrain's perspective with the global community and learning from the experiences of others. Bahrain is the most mature and well-established free market in the region with a strong track record in successful economic diversification. The Bahrain delegation has much to contribute to the debate since we've managed downturns in the past and have come out stronger."

"The World Economic Forum is the most significant gathering of government, business and industry leaders and as such, it provides us with an opportunity to raise the profile of Bahrain as an excellent base from which to access markets across the Gulf. We are sending a distinguished delegation, with a broad range of experience to ensure that Bahrain gains the maximum benefit from this important event."

Members of the delegation will be involved in several high profile forums during the event. At one of these, "Fixing the Low-Skill, Low-Opportunity Trap", EDB Chief Executive, Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, will speak on the issue of building skills across the national workforce.

The World Economic Forum 2009 will be one of the most important meetings in the Forum's history as 2,500 participants from over 96 countries gather to discuss managing the current global crisis and shaping the entire post-crisis agenda, from economic reform to climate change. The objective of the Annual Meeting 2009 is to catalyse a holistic and systematic approach to improve the state of the world in a manner that integrates all stakeholders of a global society.
The Annual Meeting 2009 runs from 28 January to 1 February 2009.