According to its online survey, over 90 per cent of the attendees at the Congress rated very good or excellent the developments in preventive medicine, genetics, aesthetic and cosmetic surgery and see the Gulf as a major player in the burgeoning Middle East anti-aging market, valued at *US$5.58billlion by 2010.

Supported by the Ministry of Health UAE and the Department of Health and Medical Services, DCAAAM attracted healthcare professionals from over 50 countries, with positive comments from delegates, speakers and exhibitors on the high standard of presentations, the benefits of networking and exploring expansion opportunities throughout the Middle East.

The only Middle Eastern event endorsed by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, the three-day congress encompassed a conference, workshops, live demonstrations and an exhibition.

Scientific Committee member Dr Howard W Fisher said: “The second annual Congress demonstrated significant growth and a directional focus that encompassed the broader spectrum approach of personalising anti-aging regimens for each individual and empowering the attending physicians with the prerequisite knowledge to move from chronological aging to physiological aging.”

Kuwait-based Bader Sultan and Bros. Co. W.L.L. (BSBC), a leader in the field of medical services and supplies since 1960, and Platinum Sponsor, was delighted with the event. General Manager Emad Al Zaben said the quality of trade visitors and the programme of events was extremely encouraging given the current economic climate.

“ DCAAAM was an excellent platform for us to be at the forefront of the fastest developing Middle Eastern anti-aging medicine industry. I am very positive about our prospects for the Middle East and the region.”

Jason Sanyal from locally-based Transformbody, which was exhibiting for the second year, added: “The footfall was good and we saw a large potential in terms of leads generation.”

Speaking at one workshop was Daniella Russell, Independant Consultant for Spas and Wellness, Dubai. “This year had the latest and most comprehensive topics and viewpoints relevant to our Industry. It allowed good dialogue between speakers and audience to ensure all angles of concern were raised and covered. An excellent turnout of the industry leaders.”

Scientific Committee member and Speaker Dr Maria Khattar from Aesthetica Clinic, Dubai, said: “ A ground breaking technique was presented by Dr Jean March Guichet from France for the first time in any anti-aging congress. Worldwide.”

Feedback from the delegates was just as enthusiastic. Said Dr Ketan Marulka from India: “The entire event was well organised and conducted. The information provided by the speakers in their abstracts and case studies were extremely valuable. I liked the current trends in BiHRT and listening from the experts themselves will prove to be a valuable tool in my clinical practice.”

Dates for the 2010 Dubai Congress on Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine have already been confirmed as October 26-27 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The warning was addressed to delegates attending the closing ceremony of the 4th IGF meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday 18 November, by Herbert Heitmann, Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Commission on E-Business, IT and Telecoms, and Chief Communications Officer at SAP.

It comes ahead of next year’s five-year review of the IGF, which was set up as an open platform for businesses, governments, civil society and technical experts to discuss Internet policy issues such as privacy, security and access costs.

Convened under the aegis of the UN Secretary General, the IGF is the only forum where all entities – including business, governments, civil society and the technical community – can discuss the future of the Internet on an equal footing. This establishes an environment of open exchange, critical to informed policy-making that takes the views of all Internet users into consideration.

“The lack of multistakeholder involvement has often led to ill-informed decision making, resistance in society and suspicions among the different players,” said Heitmann.

“The Internet Governance Forum, as we know it today has fortunately prevented these shortfalls so far. It has helped to make the Internet a universally applauded, appreciated and heavily utilized medium globally. Business wants the IGF to be continued and strongly opposes changes to its founding principles.”

The IGF should continue to have the flexibility to continue to evolve to address the needs of all stakeholders, but it should do so respecting the founding principles.” he told the conference of over 1,000 people from around the world, who had spent the previous four days discussing a range of Internet issues, with a focus on boosting Internet inclusivity, especially for those in developing countries.

The importance of the IGF as a key driver for informed policy at local level was further backed by the findings of a Diplo Foundation survey of over 200 IGF participants, from 81 countries, commissioned by AT&T and distributed during the meet.

Results reveal that almost half (47.28 percent) of respondents found the knowledge gathered through the IGF to be practical enough for them to make a good start on policy development and implementation in their respective communities, while a further 15.48 percent found it to be immediately applicable.

Further data shows that 54 percent of responders claimed they communicated relevant knowledge from the IGF to members of their local community, and 23 percent communicated with representatives to their local administrations.

Dorothy Attwood, Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer at AT&T said: “By bringing together different stakeholder sectors, the IGF provides an appropriate, effective forum for addressing Internet governance issues. The IGF has an important role in the future of the Internet.”

The creation of regional and national IGF events and initiatives is also testament to the forum’s success at stimulating pro-competitive policy, while enabling the free flow of information, data protection, and security, added Art Reilly, Senior Director of Strategic Technology Policy at Cisco Systems.

“This one-of-a-kind environment of multistakeholder exchange helps us to find new understandings, common interests and opportunities. Because our focus has been on substantively exchanging experiences and views instead of negotiating text our time here has been put to good and practical use that can inform participant’s actions in the aftermath of the IGF,” he said.

BASIS brings business expertise to and encourages business participation in the IGF. Under the umbrella of BASIS, business engages with all stakeholders with the aim of spreading the benefits of the information society more widely across the world.

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Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment, said that this year’s edition will feature four major high-profile platforms of Dubai eGovernment. The first platform will be dedicated to a presentation from the participating government and semi-government agencies on the respective eServices they provide. There are more than 2,000 such services delivered to nationals, residents, visitors and business sector, .

The second platform is dedicated to a presentation on the synergistic (shared) services provided by Dubai eGovernment to government agencies to introduce and promote their shared services through multiple electronic channels. Dubai eGovernment will highlight such services which include ePay, Ask Dubai, eLearning, and the SMS portal mDubai, among others.

The ePay service, which was introduced specifically to facilitate payment of fees for government and semi-government department services, was recently expanded to include the private sector as well.

The unified contact centre AskDubai allows customers to inquire about the eServices provided by government departments and submit their opinions and complaints on the performance of the concerned departments in both Arabic and English. The mobile service mDubai, is used to support communication between customers and the various government departments via SMS. The eLearning service is a portal which provides more than 3,000 online training courses in both Arabic and English.

The third platform, Government Information Internet (GIN), provides the backbone for a high-speed link among 50 government and semi-government departments in Dubai. It is backed by a robust infrastructure which encrypts shared data to ensure safe exchange of information.

The fourth platform, Government Resource Planning System (GRPS), is provided by Dubai eGovernment for government agencies and is commonly used by 26 government departments. This system is used by departments to efficiently manage their internal resources and covers human resources, payroll, procurement and storage and fixed assets.
GRPS provides employees with an opportunity to perform their duties efficiently through compliance with the requirements of the Dubai Government’s Human Resources Management Law No. 27 of 2006. It also serves other human resources systems adopted by Dubai Government, which are in compliance with financial policies adopted by the Finance Department and implemented by Dubai eGovernment across all its departments. Dubai eGovernment intends to intensively streamline GRPS and train government departments on its use. This is in line with Dubai eGovernment’s firm commitment to the objectives of Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 to achieve government excellence.

“We are looking forward to this year’s edition of the exhibition as it is an excellent opportunity for us to gain insights on the latest information technology trends and solutions, work closely and exchange experiences with participating departments, and meet the public so that we can identify their needs. We aim to further develop eServices in the emirate and promote efficiency and excellence, so that we can attain the main goal of creating a knowledge-based economy,” concluded Bin Humaidan.

At GITEX Technology Week 2009, Dubai eGovernment will provide a network of work stations that offer working models of all eServices provided by government departments through its portal, www.dubai.ae .

Among the government and semi-government departments joining Dubai eGovernment in the exhibition are Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing; Dubai Land Department; Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation; Department of Economic Development; Roads and Transport Authority (RTA); Public Prosecution; Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Police; Dubai Courts; Dubai Customs; Dubai Municipality; Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority (DAFZA); Protocol & Guest House Department; Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities; Dubai Statistics Centre; Dubai Civil Defence; Dubai Government Workshop; Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment; Dubai Export Development Corporation; Department of Naturalisation and Residency; Dubai Chamber; Dubai Health Authority (DHA); Dubai Judicial Institute; Centre of Ambulance Services; Dubai Airports, Zakat Fund and Tejari;
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His Excellency Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC, said: “The remarkable interest in TDIC’s sukuk programme clearly demonstrates the confidence and trust of the international capital markets in the position of Abu Dhabi. We are pleased that we have achieved this great success during the sukuk issuance as this comes shortly after we issued our inaugural bond earlier this year. In line with Abu Dhabi’s 2030 economic plan, TDIC has a long-term strategic vision to support developing Abu Dhabi into a world-class tourism destination.”

With TDIC’s Aa2/AA/AA credit ratings from Moodys, S&P and Fitch, highly experienced management and a unique role within the Abu Dhabi 2030 plan, the TDIC sukuk transaction was extremely well received globally and generated the largest order book for a global sukuk issuance in 2009, with 210 investors placing orders in excess of US$6.7bn.

Lee Tabler, CEO of TDIC, also commented: “TDIC has made a significant impression among global investors. This further reinforces TDIC’s role as a key player in the evolution of Abu Dhabi as it becomes a leading tourism and cultural destination.”

TDIC was able to price the fixed rate sukuk to yield 4.949%, representing a spread of 230bps over 5 year mid-swaps and 20bps tighter than initial price guidance during the roadshow process. In line with TDIC’s strategy of tapping Islamic investors as part of its overall funding base, 60% of the sukuk were allocated to investors in the Middle East, 20% to investors in Asia and 20% to investors in Europe. The investors comprised of banks (48%), asset managers and funds (21%), central banks and agencies (15%), private banks (14%) and 2% to other investors.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank were mandated as Joint Lead Managers/Bookrunners of the transaction and were joined by Co Managers Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, First Energy Bank, Islamic Development Bank and Qatar Islamic Bank. Allied Investment Partners acted as the General Financial Adviser to TDIC.

The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) and MEED Events have announced during a press conference today (Tuesday, October 13, 2009) at the DED Headquarters, that new investment opportunities in Abu Dhabi and the critical role of the private sector in the Emirate’s economic diversification program will be the core topics of the Abu Dhabi Conference 2009 scheduled for November 10 to 11 at The Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Organisers have also unveiled the complete agenda and the line-up of speakers of Abu Dhabi Conference 2009, which has been tailored to support Abu Dhabi’s aim to achieve a 7 per cent economic growth through 2015 and increase the GDP share of the non-oil sector to 50 per cent.

The Abu Dhabi Conference will kick off with a pre-conference reception hosted by DED for speakers, ambassadors, government officials, local dignitaries and all delegates of the event. Key government officials led by H.E. Nasser Al Sowaidi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi DED; H.E. Mohammed Omar Abdullah, DED Undersecretary; and Fahad Al Raqbani, Deputy Director General, Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Development, will open the formal discussions with key messages focusing on Abu Dhabi’s strategies to develop essential non-oil sectors, including energy, petrochemicals, metals, transport, education, healthcare and tourism.

H.E. Nasser Al Sowaidi the Chairman said: “This year has witnessed the issuance of the new Law on the Establishment of the Department of Economic Development, which confirms our futuristic approach in the development of a knowledge-based economy, and gives the highest priority to sustainable economic development.”

“The issuance of the new law and the new tasks it mandates demonstrate the commitment of the wise leadership to achieve the Economic Vision 2030 with its broader and more comprehensive meaning across the geographical spread of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the economic spread of its various economic sectors”, he added.

He also noted that Abu Dhabi Conference will emphasise on our strategic Economic sectors according to a road map that is due to cover the next twenty years.”

“Over the next few years, the private sector will play a very important role in helping Abu Dhabi realise its economic diversification program. The ultimate goal is to achieve sustainable development and it is essential that the government and the private sector cooperate proactively to identify opportunities and synergise on various mutually beneficial development projects,” said Edmund O’Sullivan, Chairman, MEED Events.

“Abu Dhabi Conference offers an ideal platform for major stakeholders of the economic diversification initiative in Abu Dhabi to conduct networking activities, discuss pressing issues and identify fresh opportunities to further enhance the future economic landscape of the emirate. The conference agenda reflects the changing dynamics of the Abu Dhabi economy, particularly with regards to the growing investment and business opportunities for the non-oil sector. The conference will also feature a powerful line-up of speakers from different industry sectors who will offer unprecedented insights into the realities and peculiarities of the local business environment,” added O’Sullivan.

Abu Dhabi Conference will incorporate in-depth sessions that will explore critical issues related to key industry sectors, including transport, banking and finance; sports, culture and tourism; oil and gas and petroleum; real estate, education, healthcare; power, water and utilities; and investment. A VIP breakfast meeting and a gala dinner have also been organised to enable conference participants, invited guests and government officials to foster new business relationships and openly exchange ideas.

The event has already confirmed participation from the following organisations: Abu Dhabi Council for Economic Planning, Abu Dhabi National Chemicals Company, Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company, Etisalat, Health Authority – Abu Dhabi, Higher Corporation for Specialised Economic Zones, Mubadala, Regulatory & Supervision Bureau, Securities & Commodities Authority and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority – UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Conference 2009 is supported by the Department of Economic Development – Abu Dhabi, with Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (ADWEA) as Associate Sponsor; Partnered with the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; HSBC as Gold Sponsor; Abu Dhabi Polymers Park, Exeed Industries and Metito as Silver Sponsors; Orient Planet as PR Partner; and CNBC as Official Arabic Broadcaster.

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RAKIA revealed that H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, has implemented key infrastructure development projects to enhance the airport facilities and several tourist amenities, which have helped make the emirate a highly attractive destination for international tourists. His Highness has also collaborated with Sheikh Salem Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of RAK Civil Aviation Department, in initiating programs to boost the service level of the emirate’s airport as well as the sea ports and other access points to the emirate.

Hilary McCormack, Manager, RAK Tourism said, “This is an important achievement in our mission to reach out to high-potential niche markets in Europe. The new charter flights open a new avenue for European travellers to enjoy Ras Al Khaimah’s world-class hospitality and experience the emirate’s unique culture. We intend to build on this important milestone to further strengthen Ras Al Khaimah’s growing status as an international business and tourist destination.”

The agreement to open new charter flights between Copenhagen and Ras Al Khaimah was sealed during RAKIA’s participation at the ITB 09 exhibition in Berlin wherein Dr. Khater Massaad, CEO of RAKIA, explored various tourism and hospitality business prospects with leading industry players from Europe.

“Ras Al Khaimah is attracting several of the leading tourism firms in Europe that are looking to explore more interesting destinations for European tourists. The recent groundbreaking achievements of the emirate, including the widely publicised successful bid to host the America’s Cup 2010, have definitely contributed in making Ras Al Khaimah a major tourist hotspot and a new target for investors and business organisations worldwide,” added McCormack.

RAKIA also revealed that the new charter flight has been realised in conjunction with the Hamra Hotels & Resorts Sales Team, which has been targeting and campaigning in niche markets with high-revenue potential. The Hamra Hotels & Resorts Sales Team has been collaborating with RAK’s major ports facilities to offer value-added services to tourists arriving in the emirate as part of an ongoing thrust to attract more tourists into Ras Al Khaimah.

Atlantis Rejser has been a leading player in the MENA tourism industry as it is responsible for bringing the largest volume of visitors from the Scandinavian market to Egypt. The company, which boasts of an 80 per cent retention of repeat clients, has revealed that Ras Al Khaimah will play a key role in its expansion program as the emirate offers an authentic cultural experience and provides a variety of world-class tourist facilities.

Ras Al Khaimah will be hosting the prestigious 33rd America’s Cup sailing competition in February of 2010, marking the first time that the race will be held in the Middle East. The competition will be held in Al Hamra Village, where a 22-hectare island within Al Hamra Village lagoon will serve as the base for the sailing event. The island will accommodate the team bases and facilities for the media, the sponsors and the viewing public.

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H.E Mohamed Omar Abdullah, Undersecretary of the Department of Economic Development, said: “The main objective of this plan is to monitor the emirate’s economic performance till the end of the year 2012 in light of the development objectives of the Economic Vision 2030 on the long run”.

He also added that the plan focuses on the sectors targeted by the “Economic Vision 2030” as motivators for economic growth and diversification, such as renewable energy, basic industries, tourism, media, IT, communications and others. The strategy aims at identifying the needs of these sectors to grow, in terms of legislative environment, financial and human resources and infrastructures.

The comprehensive studies, upon which the plan has been based, indicate that investing in the targeted sectors will enable the emirate to achieve its developmental objectives set for the first five years of the “Economic Vision 2030”, thus motivating the emirate’s economy on the middle range in accordance with the pre-set strategic road map.

Abdullah also said that the five-year plan addresses several issues; the foremost of them is foreign investments, adding: “The studies we conducted in this regard gave us deep insight on the financial needs of each of the targeted sectors throughout the plan’s period, either in form of local or foreign capitals, or through local and foreign loans”.

The plan is also regarded as a sectoral development strategy with an indicative nature, which assesses the developmental effects of investing in each of the targeted sectors and also provides some recommendations to fill the potential gaps.

As for encouraging partnership between the private and public sectors, the department invited the major businesses in each of the targeted sectors to contribute in developing the plan. Abdullah also added: “We have consulted with the major players in each sector to ensure that their investment plans highlight the importance of encouraging small and medium-sized investments in playing a greater role in promoting economic growth and development”.

In addition to the emirate’s strategic economic development plan, the five-year plan highlights the diversification of economic resources: “The plan is a continuation of the emirate’s drive for a more sustainable and diversified economy with the intention of reducing dependency on oil and gas, as stipulated in the Economic Vision 2030”.

According to Abdullah, the plan assesses the socio-economic impacts of the emirate’s potential economic growth. “In accordance with the vision of our wise leadership, this plan highlights the developmental objectives related to achieving sustainable and balanced growth on both regional and social basis,” He added.

He also pointed out that the plan focuses on providing the targeted sectors with their needs of human resources and related data and analysis, in addition to providing the national human resources with adequate education and training to play a greater role in pushing the emirate’s economic growth forward.

As to which extent the emirate’s economy has been hit by the recent international economic crisis, he commented: “A large number of experts and think-tanks share with us the vision that Abu Dhabi’s economy is one of the least affected economies by the credit crunch and the ensuing economic crisis. The emirate’s economic growth has never come to a halt during this year, 2009. The plan also indicates that emirate’s economy will witness rapid and substantial growth throughout the upcoming three years”.

As part of its efforts to formulate the plan, the department surveyed the leading players in the targeted sectors to identify the hypotheses, related to the emirate’s macro economy, upon which they built their investment plans, with the aim of assessing their understanding of the new macroeconomic outcomes, in light of the new realities stemming from the international credit crunch on the both regional and global levels.

The department spent around nine months to carefully formulate the plan with the involvement of more than 70 organisations from both public and private sectors.

The seminar programme, organised by the Trade Commission of Chile (ProChile) with the support of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai, will be part of the ‘Chilean Week 2009’, a display of the unique economic and cultural landscape in Chile, being held in Dubai from 17th to 24th October.

The ‘Chilean Week 2009’ will also mark the opening of the embassy of Chile in the UAE, the first diplomatic mission of the Latin American republic in the GCC.

Designed to introduce the vast opportunities for trade and investment in Chile, the two-day seminar programme will have three different sessions focusing on investment, logistics and engineering services. Each of the sessions will highlight key areas where businesses and entrepreneurs in the UAE can take advantage of Chile’s position as a thriving export market and investment destination.

Critical sectors in which Chile has been successfully pursuing foreign investment are its agri-business and infrastructure. Speakers at the seminar will also present the world-class construction, engineering and architectural expertise in Chile, renowned for its emphasis on lower costs and renewable energy.

Commenting on the seminar programme, Mr. Carlos Salas, Trade Commissioner of Chile in the UAE, said that Chile can provide the right solutions and opportunities for expanding economies like the UAE and other Gulf nations.

“Political and economic stability, along with a highly skilled workforce, have helped Chile to develop a sustainable economic model. The country has productive partnerships with all major trading blocs and consumer markets, accounting for 90% of world’s GDP. It also has the most competitive business environment in South America,” said Mr. Salas.

Latest rankings from organisations such as the IMF, World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recognise Chile as the most stable, safest country in South America and a good business partner. Chile also ranked first in Latin America in the most recent Global Competitiveness Index published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

“Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Chile exceeded US$12 billion in 2008. Currently there are over 4,000 foreign companies, from at least 60 countries, operating in Chile. The government has succeeded in promoting investor confidence through risk minimisation and ensuring legal guarantees on investment,” Mr. Salas concluded.

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