Young Arab Leaders to host its first Forum

Al Gergawi said that the Forum will be the biggest gathering of young Arab leaders.

Mohammed Al Gergawi said, "Despite the fact that the regional countries have achieved remarkable progress in the last few years, the regional governments feel the importance of making a fresh leap in their economic policies by encouraging the role of youth in the growth process. This approach involves facing new challenges which will be addressed during the Forum."

He added,

"Young leaders play an active role in helping the Arab countries achieve progress and over the last few years we have witnessed a growing awareness about the importance of developing the capabilities of these leaders. It is important to put together a strategic plan to enable regional countries to face the growth challenges with the support of young leaders and launch initiatives that depend on the efforts and abilities of Arab youth."

He clarified, "There is great interest from all braches of education in the Arab world and some of the important Arab leaders from Europe and the US to attend the Forum which will host speakers that will include leading officials and CEOs of prominent companies from around the world besides experts and academics. The Forum will offer a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences and will concentrate on the ever-evolving issues facing the Arab leaders today and ways of overcoming these challenges by developing a strategic plan that the participants will implement during the next year."

Hakam Kanafani, Vice Chairman of YAL said, "The Young Arab Leaders Forum 2005 aims to develop an action plan that all the participants can help implement during the coming year. By identifying specific ways to address the challenges of our region and asking each participant to make a specific commitment to take action in one of the areas discussed, this event will prove to be an unprecedented and effective forum for leaders and their communities around the region."

He said that the event will host sector specific workshops in which the main issues facing each industry will be discussed and investigated.

Vice Chairman of YAL said that the Forum which will highlight the successes of the organization to date and set the 2006 action plan is considered an important part of the organisation's strategy in re-evaluating what it has achieved and discuss how to strengthen its role further.

Young Arab Leaders (YAL) is an independent pan-Arab organization which aims to create the necessary environment for future leaders to grow and develop in the region.

It is a network of 500 of the region's leaders in the different sectors from the business community, politics, academia, media, arts, culture and all other areas of civil society, who are committed to improving the state of the Arab world.

These Young Arab Leaders leverage their proven ability to achieve in their personal and professional lives and extend it to developing their professional sectors and particularly to nurturing future leadership in these sectors.

They work on projects ranging from establishing mentorship programs in organizations across the region, to increasing the number of scholarships available for Arab students as well as networking across sectors and countries to improve the capabilities of the region as a whole.