Dubai 2003 awards contract for Dubai Convention Centre

Notes and media contacts

Structure of Dubai 2003 organisation
Dubai 2003 was established as a result of Decree No. 62, dated 3 April 2000, followed by a second decree, No. 106, dated 23 May 2000, issued by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Minister for Finance and Industry and Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

The decrees stated that there should be two committees, a Steering Committee and then an Organising Committee, and the membership should be as follows:

Steering Committee
Chairman: H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Minister for Finance and Industry

Deputy Chairman: H.E. Dr Mohammed Khalfan bin Khirbash, Minister of State for Finance and Industry

Members:
H.E. Dr Khalifa Mohammed Ahmad, Director, Ruler's Office Dubai
H.E. Qassim Sultan, Director General, Dubai Municipality
H.E. Major General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Chief of Police, Dubai Police
H.E. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Director General, Department of Economic Development
H.E. Abdulrahman Al Mutaiwee, General Director, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry
H.E. Khalid bin Sulayem, Director General, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing
Mr Ibrahim Belselah, Director of Finance, Dubai Municipality

Organising Committee
Chairman: H.E. Qassim Sultan, Director General, Dubai Municipality

Members:
H.E. Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Director General, Department of Economic Development
H.E. Mohammad al Gergawi, Director General, Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority
Brigadier Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Director General of Protective Security and Emergency, Dubai Police
H.E. Khalid Al Bustani, Assistant Undersecretary Revenue and Budget, UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry
Mr Ahmed Al Banna, Assistant Director General Studies and International Affairs, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Rashid Al Noori, Senior General Manager, DNATA Agencies
Saeed Mohammed Al Sharid, General Manager, Emirates Transport
Obaid Mes'Har, General Manager Dubai Region, Etisalat
Ahmad Al Gaoud, Director General Manager, UAE Radio & Television Dubai, Dubai Municipality
Mattar Al Tayer, Assistant Director General for Roads and General Projects Affairs
Obaid Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General for Administrative Affairs and General Services, Dubai Municipality
Abdulla Bin Souqat, Assistant Hospital Director for Administration and Finance, Department of Health and Medical Services
Ibrahim Belselah, Director of Finance, Dubai Municipality

History
Annual meetings are held on a triennial cycle, with the first two years being in Washington, the permanent home of both the World Bank Group and the IMF. Every third year a key city outside the USA is selected as the venue. Previous cities privileged to host the meetings have been:

2000: Prague, Czech Republic
1997: Hong Kong, China
1994: Madrid, Spain
1991: Bangkok, Thailand
1988: Berlin, Germany

Both the World Bank and the IMF were established in the late 1940s, in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Great Depression which had preceded it and which had caused enormous economic and social upheaval in the developed world.

There are now 181 member countries of the Bank and 182 of the IMF. Each member country appoints a Governor and an Alternate Governor to carry out the decision-making responsibilities of the Bank. These Governors are usually officials such as Ministers of Finance or Planning and they meet only once a year. Because the meetings of the governors occur infrequently, the majority of their powers are delegated to the board of Executive Directors who are based in Washington and who usually meet two or three times a week to oversee the Bank's business. This business includes approving loans and guarantees, new policies, the administrative budget, country assistance strategies and borrowing and financial decisions.

The purpose of the IMF is to help member countries ensure a stable system of buying and selling their currencies. However, there are several areas within this extremely broad idea, which help the member countries achieve their aim.

These can be generally described as surveillance (the process whereby the IMF analyses the exchange rate policy of a member in light of the overall economic policies and strategies of the country), financial assistance which the IMF provides to member countries which are experiencing difficulties with their balance of payments, and technical assistance in areas such as the design and implementation of fiscal and monetary policy, development of institutions such as central banks, collection and analysis of statistical data and training.

The idea underpinning the operations of the World Bank is the eradication of poverty through the assistance of sustainable growth and development. It lends almost $30 billion annually to its client countries, with the focus being on the poorest people and the poorest countries.

The Bank consists of five closely related bodies: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; International Finance Corporation; International Development Association; International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.

For further information, contact Matt Jones, Promoseven PR, Dubai,
tel: 971 4 3368826; fax: 04 3368609