DM set to host key international conference on coastal zone management

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality, the event will provide a platform for discussion on coastal environmental impact problems and remedial solutions, including case studies of relevance to the region.

Khalid Mohammed Al Zahed, Head of Coastal Management Section at Dubai Municipality and vice-chairman of the conference organizing committee said some 100 papers, dealing with a variety of topics, will be presented by prominent experts in the 24 working sessions of the conference.

"The papers deal with crucial coastal issues concerning the region. These include the long-term impact of the hazardous oil spill from the Gulf War twelve years ago on coastal and marine resources; coastal monitoring programmes for Gulf waters; and Tsunami hazards and mitigation along the Gulf and Arabian Sea coasts,"

said Al Zahed.

He added that some 250 professionals and specialists from around the world will turn up for this significant event. "We have publicized this event through a variety of medium including newspaper advertisements, TV ads, posters and outdoor advertisements," he noted.

The conference is sponsored by Emaar, Dubai Properties, Dubai Real Estate Department, Nakheel, and Dubai Customs.

Dubai Municipality has initiated the ARABIANCOAST Conference series in order to bring together regional and international scientists, environmentalists, engineers and coastal managers to discuss the latest achievements and developments of relevance to ensuring best practice in development and preservation of the regional coastal zone.

"The conference will also lay particular emphasis on building collaborative linkages between agencies, programs and professionals working in the region. In this context, we value the support extended by our sponsors for this very important event," said Al Zahed.

Explaining the conference procedures, he said, apart from the official opening session, the conference would include keynote speeches by 12 international experts in the field of coasts management from Australia, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Scotland, USA, Spain, South Africa, Italy and the UK. In addition, there will be experts from the Gulf region addressing the conference.

There are some 20 papers concerning the UAE coasts while 28 papers concern the Gulf and Middle East regions including nine from Kuwait, five from the Sultanate of Oman, eight from Iran and four from Egypt. Others papers are from India, USA, Italy, UK, Jordan, Nigeria, Turkey, Japan, Greece, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, New Zealand, Denmark, South Africa, Australia and Tunisia.

A technical trade exhibition will be held along side the main conference, which will also include a site visit to coastal zone projects of interest in the region.