Organising Committee says Dubai 2003 is ready to welcome the world in September 2003

In less than one month the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank and IMF will be in the Dubai International Convention Centre where thousands of participants will attend from 184 countries.

The Organising Committee and the Sub Committees have been working since 2000, meeting every week to discuss the preparations and all the developments required to host an event of this magnitude.

At the Organising Committee meeting headed by Qassim Sultan the Heads of the respective special purpose committees all expressed their readiness for the event that has been helped by the excellent coordination and cooperation between the respective committees.

Qassim Sultan said: "We are happy to announce that we are ready to host the meetings and the preparations are now in their final stage. We will continue to meet over the next few weeks to finalise the preparations and we also want to assure everyone that life will go on as usual during the event for the people of the UAE."

Organising Committee member Mohammad Al Gergawi praised the efforts of the different committees established to help host the event, and he emphasised that all the Institutions in the UAE have contributed to the effort including Ministries and authorities through direct participation or support.

Head of the Dubai 2003 Task Force, Khalid Al Bustani, said that the UAE started planning for the event a long time ago at the very highest level. He said: "Thanks to excellent planning we are ready and the preparations are going on smoothly and we look forward to the arrival of the participants at the Annual Meetings to the UAE."

Major General Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Head of the Security Committee said: "We may have 30 days to go but the UAE is fully prepared to host the meetings as if they were going to be held tomorrow. The Committees are ready, and our meetings are going on only to ensure that all the final details are taken care of."

Dubai 2003 General Coordinator Ibrahim Belselah added that Dubai 2003 is on schedule and fully prepared to welcome the world to the UAE.

Ahmed Al Banna, Head of the Accommodation Committee added: "We are in a stage where 41 hotels, among them 24 specifically for officials, have been booked and we have confirmed all the ballrooms and halls required at the hotels. We also look forward to the hospitality sector demonstrating a true welcome from the UAE to the participants in the Annual Meetings in their interaction with them during the event."

He added that between 250 and 300 events linked to the Annual Meetings would be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre during that period and the final arrangements for these were now being organised.

Mattar Tayer, Head of Venues and Facilities Committee, explained that the work of his committee was done and they were putting together the final steps and rehearsing all the equipment that has been installed at the Dubai International Convention Centre.

The Head of the Media Committee, Mr. Ahmed Al Gaoud, said the preparations, people equipment, studios and press centre are in place and from 1 September they will start media awareness and advertising campaigns in addition to live programmes and pre-recorded shows to highlight the importance of the Annual Meetings. He added that the scale of the event would leave a hugely positive perception of the UAE on the world.

Khalid Ahmed Sheikh Mubarak, Head of the Medical Committee said they had ensured everything was in place for the event with the provision of trained doctors, nurses and necessary equipment in place.

Obaid bin Mes'Har, Head of the Technology Committee, said they were prepared and everything was in place to ensure that the participants had the technology and equipment they needed for a successful event.

Head of the Local Transport Committee, Saeed Al Sharid, confirmed that his team was ready and enthusiastic about being part of this event, and they were looking forward to moving the delegates out and about Dubai.

Rashid Al Noori, Head of the International Transport and Freight Committee concluded that he was very proud to see the heads of the different committees showing such interest, even in the smallest details, to ensure the successful execution of the event.

The Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund were first held in Washington DC in 1946. They are hosted by an international city one year in three. The UAE and Dubai were selected because of their highly developed transportation and logistics infrastructure, growing importance as a financial hub and its established position as an oasis of opportunity.