1,200 Leaders expected at World Economic Forum on the Middle East

Over 1,200 business, political and civil society leaders from 79 countries will participate in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East 2009 in Jordan from 15 to 17 May.

The discussions will focus on the theme “Implications of the Global Economic Crisis for the Middle East: Home-grown Strategies for Success” The meeting’s programme is based on three pillars:

• Overcoming Crisis, Restoring Growth

• The New Science and Research Agenda

• The Shifting Geopolitical Landscape; Towards Soft Power Approaches

The plenary sessions listed below will be streamed live on Mogulus and key quotes will be live tweeted on the Forum’s Twitter feed.

 

Programme of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East

Friday 15 May 12.30 - 13.00 (09.30 - 10.00GMT)

Co-Chairs Opening Press Conference The co-chairs of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East reflect on the theme of Implications of the Global Economic Crisis for the Middle East, Home-grown Strategies for Success. Speakers Samir Brikho, Chief Executive Officer, Amec, United Kingdom Chey Jae-Won, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SK Holdings, Republic of Korea Esam Janahi, Chairman, Gulf Finance House, Bahrain; Young Global Leader Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Heidrick & Struggles, USA Moderated by Mark Adams, Managing Director, Head of Communications and Media, World Economic Forum

Friday 15 May 13.00 - 14.30 (10.00 - 11.30GMT)

Opportunity for Growth: Low-cost Housing While the construction and real estate industries in the Middle East face falling demand in their high-end markets, the region continues to suffer from a chronic under-supply of affordable housing. What incentives are necessary to make affordable housing a viable business opportunity? Discussion Leaders Samer I. Asfour, Commissioner for Investments and Development, Development Zones Commission - Government of Jordan, Jordan; Young Global Leader Markus Giebel, Chief Executive Officer, Deyaar Development, United Arab Emirates Mohamed Duaij Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer, Barwa Real Estate Bahrain, Bahrain Ahmed El Maghrabi, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities of Egypt Jonathan Reckford, Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity, USA Samih Sawiris, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Orascom Hotels & Development, Egypt Cameron Sinclair, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Architecture for Humanity, USA; Young Global Leader Moderated by Stefania Bianchi, Senior Reporter, Dow Jones Newswires, United Arab Emirates

Friday 15 May 15.00 - 15.30 (12.00 - 12.30GMT)

Opening Address Special Address by H.M. King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Introduced by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

Friday 15 May 15.30 - 16.15 (12.30 - 13.15GMT)

Opening Plenary The Co-Chairs of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East will set the context of the meeting and share their personal objectives for making a difference to the future of the region. Samir Brikho, Chief Executive Officer, Amec, United Kingdom Chey Jae-Won, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SK Holdings, Republic of Korea Esam Janahi, Chairman, Gulf Finance House, Bahrain; Young Global Leader Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Heidrick & Struggles, USA Moderated by Sherif El Diwany, Director, Head of Middle East and Arab Business Council, World Economic Forum

Friday 15 May 16.15 - 16.45 (13.15 - 13.45GMT)

Keynote Address On behalf of H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar Keynote Address by H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Introduced by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

Friday 15 May 17.15 - 18.15 (14.15 - 15.15GMT)

Enhancing Global, Regional and Human Security The Middle East is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the economic crisis and compounded by the long-standing challenges of fostering human development and ensuring political stability. What are the implications of the recent economic and political developments in the Middle East and worldwide for global, regional and human security? Ibrahim S. Dabdoub, Group Chief Executive Officer, National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait; Chair of the Arab Business Council John F. Kerry, Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Senator from Massachusetts (Democrat), USA H.H. Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Chairman of the Economic Development Board of Bahrain Ahmed Mahmoud Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt Hanadi N. Al Thani, Founder and Chairperson, Amwal, Qatar Chaired by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum

Friday 15 May 18.15 - 19.45 (15.15 - 16.45GMT)

Unconventional Capitalism Over the past decade, the Middle East region has witnessed the rise of a generation of young entrepreneurs who have introduced new business models and built companies with a global presence. In the current risk-averse environment, will this generation maintain its appetite for unconventional approaches to growth? Helmy Abouleish, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Sekem Group, Egypt; Social Entrepreneur Omar K. Alghanim, Chief Executive Officer, Alghanim Industries, Kuwait; Young Global Leader Fadi Ghandour, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Aramex International, Jordan Esam Janahi, Chairman, Gulf Finance House, Bahrain; Young Global Leader H.R.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Sultan, Prince of Saudi Royal Family Moderated by Alan G. Friedman, Executive Editor and Anchor, FBC Group, United Kingdom

Saturday 16 May 09.00 - 10.30 (06.00 - 07.30GMT)

The "Right" Rescue Package for the Middle East As Middle East countries tackle the global economic crisis, policy-makers may opt for increasing direct government spending and employment, boosting domestic consumption, supporting financial institutions or introducing rescue packages for small and medium-sized businesses. What are the most important measures that the countries of the region need to introduce to render their economies more resilient and positioned for growth? Khalid Abdulla-Janahi, Chairman, Ithmaar Bank, Bahrain H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance of Bahrain Mahmoud Safwat Mohieldin, Minister of Investment of Egypt Arif M. Naqvi, Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, Abraaj Capital, United Arab Emirates Joe Saddi, Chairman of the Board, Booz & Company, Lebanon Basem Al Salem, Minister of Finance of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Moderated by John K. Defterios, Anchor, CNN Marketplace Middle East, CNN International, United Kingdom

Saturday 16 May 11.00 - 12.30 (08.00 - 09.30GMT)

Race for an Audience: Media in the Middle East The Middle East has never seen so many local and regional news outlets vying for an audience, a situation that has also enabled once-ostracized political groups to gain a public voice. How is this race for the public's hearts and minds affecting journalistic standards? Muna AbuSulayman, Secretary-General, Alwaleed Bin Talal Al Saud Foundation, Saudi Arabia; Young Global Leader Nakhle El Hage, Director, News and Current Affairs, Al Arabiya News Channel, United Arab Emirates Marwan Jamil Muasher, Senior Vice-President, External Affairs, World Bank, Washington DC; Chair, Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Middle East Zafar Siddiqi, Chairman, CNBC Arabiya, United Arab Emirates Raja Trad, Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett Group, Mediterranean, United Arab Emirates Moderated by Caroline Drees, Editor, Middle East, Thomson Reuters, United Arab Emirates

Saturday 16 May 15.00 - 16.20 (12.00 - 13.20GMT)

Choosing the Middle East Technology Leap Strategic investment in breakthrough technology has propelled individuals, companies and nations to wealth and prosperity. What new technological frontiers should the Middle East explore to get ahead of the innovation curve in the decades to come? Peter C. Brun, Senior Vice-President, Vestas Wind Systems, Denmark Chey Jae-Won, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SK Holdings, Republic of Korea Williem Elfrink, Chief Globalization Officer and Executive Vice-President, Cisco Services, Cisco Systems (India), India Karim Kawar, President, Kawar Group, Jordan; Young Global LeaderMohammad H. Omran, Chairman, Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat), United Arab Emirates Challengers Peter L. Corsell, Chief Executive Officer, GridPoint, USA; Chair, Global Agenda Council on Alternative Energies; Technology Pioneer Ahmed Elmagarmid, Professor and Director, Discovery Park, Purdue University, USA Moderated by Soumitra Dutta, Dean, External Relations, and Roland Berger Chaired Professor in Business and Technology, INSEAD, France

Saturday 16 May 16.20 - 16.30 (13.20 - 13.30GMT)

Social Entrepreneur Awards in the Middle East The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship provides a global platform to promote social entrepreneurship as a means of advancing societies and addressing social problems in an innovative and effective manner. Introduced by Soumitra Dutta, Dean, External Relations, and Roland Berger Chaired Professor in Business and Technology, INSEAD, France Presented by Hilde Schwab, Chairperson and Co-Founder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship

Saturday 16 May 17.00 - 18.30 (14.00 - 15.30GMT)

Global Redesign Series: The Post-crisis Regulatory Environment The scale of recent regulatory lapses has resulted in calls for increased cross-border financial oversight, affecting established business practice globally. How can Middle East businesses adjust their corporate governance practices to maintain their competitiveness regionally and globally? Simon Clinton, Partner, Head of Corporate, Middle East, Clifford Chance, United Arab Emirates John P. Drzik, President and Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Wyman Group (MMC), USA Khawar Qureshi, Head of Chambers, McNair Chambers Qatar and London, Qatar Nasser Al Shaali, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), United Arab Emirates; Young Global Leader Sharif Zu'bi, Senior Partner, Ali Sharif Zu'bi Advocates & Legal Consultants, Jordan Moderated by John K. Defterios, Anchor, CNN Marketplace Middle East, CNN International, United Kingdom

Sunday 17 May 09.00 - 10.30 (06.00 - 07.30GMT)

Global Redesign Series: The Future of Middle East Peacemaking With the new US foreign policy aimed at reviving dialogue on the region's major fault lines, Middle East leaders face the imperative to put forward a credible home-grown vision for regional security. How can the region's key stakeholders get beyond established positions and realize their underlying common interests? Adil Abd Al-Mahdi, Vice-President of Iraq Nader Dahabi, Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Amre Moussa, Secretary-General, League of Arab States, Cairo Alexander Saltanov, Special Envoy of the Russian Foreign Minister for the Middle East and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Moderated by Raghida Dergham, Senior Diplomatic Correspondent and Columnist, Al Hayat, USA

Sunday 17 May 11.00 - 12.30 (08.00 - 09.30GMT)

The Cost of Conflict Over the last two decades, violence has cost the Middle East US$ 12 trillion in foregone economic growth and development. Are decision-makers in the region able to justify this cost for another 20 years? Saeb Erekat, Head, Negotiations Department, PLO, Palestinian National Authority, Palestinian Territories Dan Gillerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gillerman Global, Israel Abdul-Malik Al Jaber, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Paltel Group, Palestinian Territories Karen Koning AbuZayd, Commissioner-General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Amman Ephraim Sneh, Founder and Chairman, Israel Hazaka, Israel Moderated by Christopher Dickey, Bureau Chief, Paris, and Regional Editor, Middle East, Newsweek, France

Sunday 17 May 12.45 - 13.00 (09.45 - 10.00GMT)

Special Remarks Introduced by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum Special Remarks by Shimon Peres, President of Israel

Sunday 17 May 13.00 - 13.30 (10.00 - 10.30GMT)

Closing Plenary The Co-Chairs of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and thought leaders will summarize the main conclusions and outcomes of the meeting. Samir Brikho, Chief Executive Officer, Amec, United Kingdom Esam Janahi, Chairman, Gulf Finance House, Bahrain; Young Global Leader Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, Heidrick & Struggles, USA Marwan Jamil Muasher, Senior Vice-President, External Affairs, World Bank, Washington DC; Chair, Global Agenda Council on the Future of the Middle East Moderated by Richard Samans, Managing Director, World Economic Forum

Sunday 17 May 13.30 - 14.00 (10.30 - 11.00GMT)

Closing Featuring the King Abdullah II Award for Youth Innovation and Achievement In the presence of H.M. King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Chaired by Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum