festival of thinkers closing remarks
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen:
I am pleased and honored to close this Festival of Thinkers. It has been, in my judgment, a remarkable success.
I want to thank every one of you for your participation. You have demonstrated over the past three days the value of joining together to address issues of common concern for the future of the world. You brought to the festival great experience, impressive knowledge, superior intellect, and a commitment to global progress. The presentations and discussions reflected your conviction that thinkers, acting alone or in concert, have the capacity and the responsibility to effect necessary progress and change.
We live in a time when the capacity for human progress is severely challenged by the magnitude of the problems and obstacles we face. I am convinced, however, that with the intellectual and pragmatic leadership of distinguished people like you who have assembled here, we will be able to address the problems and issues successfully.
During your discussions, you have agreed, I believe, on two basic concepts. One, the role of thinkers and innovators in shaping the future of the world will continue to grow. Two, regional and international cooperation is essential to the growth of knowledge and solution of problems.
It is now clear that your work, as thinkers and intellectual leaders, must not only be about knowledge and ideas, but it must also be about leadership – the leadership required to assure the wise, effective, and humane use of knowledge and ideas. To achieve that, we must create and maintain institutions that foster and support creativity, knowledge, intelligent and informed debate, effective mechanisms for change, and above all, capable leadership.
When I spoke two days ago at the beginning of the festival, I mentioned the need for a global community of thinkers, for combining thought with action, and for promoting equal opportunities for success around the globe. We’ve made great progress at the festival in focusing attention on these fundamental issues.
I am hopeful that in the future the Festival of thinkers will become an influential forum for sharing ideas and analyzing problems. I am optimistic that it will contribute to the formation of global connections and associations among peers and colleagues in different countries of the world. I am also hopeful the Festival will help establish Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates as major intellectual centers in the region and the world.
We look forward to working with you in the future. Over the coming months, we will explore ways to disseminate the creative ideas that were expressed here. We will do everything we can to help build a global community to exchange ideas and promote knowledge-based action. We will undertake this commitment in the spirit of trust, friendship, and cooperation so evident in the festival.
Thank you for your active participation in the Festival and for your part in making it successful. It has been an honor and a privilege working with you in the past three days. Have a safe trip home. I hope to meet you again in the next Festival of Thinkers.
