Abu Dhabi forum tackles essential role of immigration in global cities

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court and Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development (ADCED), Global City welcomes more than 100 leading international experts as speakers and forum participants, with leaders from 40 world cities in attendance.

At a conference on how immigration can significantly contribute to the success of cities, experts in civic development shared their views on the subject during a lively debate.

"Immigration is a very positive, dynamic factor for change," said Marie Therese McGivern, Director of Development at Belfast City Council in the United Kingdom.

"By nature, a migrant is an entrepreneur," she added. "Welcoming migrants is a proposition with a strong business case. In Belfast, the story so far has been a good one."

Meanwhile, Tom Bartkoski, Director of International Business Development at World Business Chicago, outlined how his city had embraced a long tradition of immigration. He said that Chicago's position as the third largest US city, in terms of economic output, would not have been possible without its intensive immigration over the generations.

"Chicago is viewed as providing a good environment for international business because companies feel comfortable with the number of other cultures available in the workforce," he said.

"There has been a consistency of openness of attitude by the Mayor, Richard Daley, to immigrants, and the city knows it must continue to embrace this welcome to newcomers."

During the final speech of the session, Peter Woods, the Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments in the Asia-Pacific region, warned that in spite of the success of a large number of cities in their immigration policies, there is still much more to do.

"We have a long way to go because in many parts of the world, we are not adopting established principles against racism," he said. "For cities to succeed, their populations need to embrace multiculturalism. An historic analysis of the world's biggest economies shows that places that adapt well to immigration are the most economically successful."

Racism, he said, was a serious threat to communities and local governments had the capacity to launch initiatives to counter this. "It is extremely important to use people on the ground," he said, "especially those who have been victims themselves. Cities provide a good forum to examine people."

Global City is organised by Reed Exhibitions Middle East as a knowledge gathering, networking and business platform dedicated to mayors, urban planners, decision-makers and leaders. Reed launched the event in 2005 in Cannes, France, and the second and third editions were held in Lyon in 2006 and 2007. The organisers decided to move Global City to Abu Dhabi this year in recognition of the capital's inspiring record in the event's key themes of sustainability, progress and strategy.

The event continues today, during which time delegates and panellists will continue to debate a comprehensive range of subjects concerning cities around the world.