Completely revamped Dubai 2003 website launched for Annual Meetings

In addition to a new branded look, much of the information has been edited and updated. For any visitor to the site, the Oasis of Opportunity and other side bars provide a positive insight into financial, commercial and lifestyle opportunities in the United Arab Emirates and Dubai.

The main page features stunning images of the UAE with a welcome by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance and Industry.

"As host nation of the Annual Meetings, we are delighted to have the opportunity to share with you, our country, our people and our promise," Sheikh Hamdan says in his welcome message.

A brand new element is the Media Resource Centre which contains a dynamic image library, with free downloadable visuals and press releases.

There is more information for investors, on the World Bank Group, the IMF and the Joint Secretariat staff, and a lot more input has been added on important local, regional and international issues and about life, culture and traditions of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates and the region.

The user-friendly site details how the UAE and Dubai came to be an 'Oasis of Opportunity' in a relatively short period of development. It has a special focus on the country's and the emirate's lead role in commerce and banking, tourism, its excellent infrastructure, the new Dubai International Convention Centre and other major projects and its care for the environment. Because of its being the 'Oasis of Opportunity', Dubai in the UAE was chosen to host the Annual Meetings.

The site provides information about how Dubai 2003 relates to an individual; providing highlights, information on special events and gives interesting trivia. It details the Annual Meetings and the Media Resource Centre, facilitates online registration and provides information on a wide range of issues from security, to schedule of events, accommodation and where to go and what to do in Dubai. It also has convenient links to the World Bank Group and the IMF sites.

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.