World Economic Forum and the government of Dubai announce inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai

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Mark Adams, Director, Head of Communications, Tel.: +41 (0) 22 869 1212 - mark.adams@weforum.org

• World’s foremost thinkers to meet in November 2008 to select top 10 breakthrough ideas for improving the state of the world
• The Summit will be held in partnership with the Government of Dubai, following the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding
• 700 participants will aim to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges
• For more information on the Summit and the Global Agenda Councils, visit www.weforum.org/gac 
   

Geneva, Switzerland, 6 May 2008 – The Summit on the Global Agenda is a new, unique gathering of the world’s most influential thinkers – leaders from academia, business, government and society. Its purpose is to advance solutions to the most critical challenges facing humanity. This inaugural Summit of the members of the Forum’s Global Agenda Councils, the world's foremost intelligence and knowledge network, will be held in partnership with the Government of Dubai on 7-9 November.

“The World Economic Forum’s network of Global Agenda Councils represents a transformational innovation in global governance,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Forum. “The inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai is a unique opportunity for the world’s most innovative and influential thinkers to share ideas and collaboratively develop solutions to address some of the most pressing issues on the global agenda.”

During the three-day Summit, the 700 participants of this interdisciplinary event will engage in interactive workshops and sessions to set priorities for the most compelling ideas for improving the state of the world, from groundbreaking areas of research to new and exciting developments and cross-cutting solutions to address the world’s challenges. The outcomes of the Summit will be presented at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 in Davos for further discussion and action.

“Holding the inaugural Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai is a testament of the United Arab Emirates’ association with the highest notions of brilliance, innovation and breakthrough thinking. We will be working jointly with the World Economic Forum in developing this Summit and reinforcing its role of global significance,” said H.E. Mohammad AlGergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, and Chairman, The Executive Office, Dubai.

“We are very excited about the partnership with the Government of Dubai, which has embodied innovation and creativity for many years, and we look forward to jointly develop the Summit on the Global Agenda,” said Fiona Paua, Senior Director and Head of the Global Agenda Councils at the Forum.

To ensure the highest level of discussion, participation is by invitation only and limited to the members of the Global Agenda Councils.

Global Agenda Councils
To further its mission and strategic vision, the World Economic Forum has created the Global Agenda Councils, which are multistakeholder groups of the most innovative and relevant minds, for the purpose of advancing knowledge and collaboratively exploring solutions to the most important issues in the global arena.
 

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The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. (http://www.weforum.org)