The organizers of the second Dubai Strategy Forum 2002, in association with Visa International have launched a global essay competition in an attempt to open the doors to world dialogue on major issues facing this region.
The author of the winning 2,000 word submission, entitled ‘How can our region meet its key challenges?', will receive a $ 5,000 prepaid Visa card and will be invited to attend the Forum in an all-expenses-paid trip to Dubai, October 28-30, 2002. The winning essay will be featured in future Dubai Strategy Forum publications.
At the Forum, the winner will join more than 1,000 of the region's government and business leaders, along with key representatives from academia, media and civil society. They will engage in open dialogue on the future of the region, which embraces North and East Africa, Central and South Asia, the broader Middle East, including the Gulf States.
According to the Forum's chairman, Mohammed Al-Gergawi, the main debate this year, themed Creating Networks of Growth, focuses on the opportunities and challenges facing the region, which comprises 1.8 billion people, 31 countries and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimated at $1.5 trillion.
“The region that is dubbed ‘the third world' by many economists and media, actually houses one third of the world's people and is ripe to develop opportunities to impact the global economy,” he said. “However, such opportunities do not come without challenges and it is the management of these challenges that we have selected as the topic of the essay competition.”
Gergawi confirmed that the competition is open to participants worldwide. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
