Tejari CEO to address International Chambers of Commerce Congress

She has been invited to share the perspectives she has gained during her five years at the helm of the Middle East's most innovative Web-based enterprise.

Sheikha Lubna will participate in a panel discussion at the event, on the subject of Building an Online World - Rhetoric and Reality. The panel will be made up of senior figures in the IT and telecom industries from across the globe, and will focus on the performance of initiatives to establish Internet connectivity in the developing world.

She will also contribute to a private lunch discussion entitled How does the ICC Stand Up for the Global Economy?, to be hosted by Jean-René Fortou, the ICC's chairman and CEO of French conglomerate Vivendi Universal. Other participants in the discussion include former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, former president of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, and a number of other internationally renowned figures from government and business.

"I will use the example of Dubai to illustrate how online societies can be made into a reality," said Sheikha Lubna. "The leadership of the emirate, under the visionary tutelage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has been successful in establishing the Internet as an essential day-to-day medium, without compromising moral and cultural limits to the kind of material available."

"Businesses, schools and communities in Dubai have been quick to exploit the opportunities offered by connection to the worldwide Web, and there is much for other countries to learn from that experience," she added. "I am looking forward to relating how the IT infrastructure and communication environment in Dubai supported the growth of a sophisticated online culture."

The objective of the panel debate is to highlight topics that have been identified as priorities by the ICC's Commission on E-Business, IT and Telecoms. Issues scheduled for discussion include the performance of the World Summit on the Information Society, the success of different developing countries in promoting the Internet, and the formulation of a strategy to get information and communication technology (ICT) established in remote rural communities.

The ICC World Congress will take place at the Marrakesh Congress Centre from the 6 to the 9 June. As well as an opportunity for opinion-formers from all over the world to share their views on issues affecting the global economy, the Congress will be a showcase for Morocco's development into an important component of the global economy. It will also feature the prestigious World Business Awards.