(From left to right) Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Chairman of Arab Thought Foundation and Emir of Makkah region; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, at “FIKR11” conference in Dubai, Monday. — SG photo Shadiah Abdullah Saudi Gazette DUBAI – A two-day annual “FIKR11” conference entitled “Citizens and Government: A Future Vision” was inaugurated here Monday by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in the presence of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Chairman of Arab Thought Foundation and Emir of Makkah region. Addressing the audience, Prince Khaled said that the title of the conference is today's and tomorrow's dilemma due to various international changes. He said that God endowed the human race with the power to reason, enlightened humans, and entrusted this earth into their hands. However, humans followed their own instincts and ever since everything on this earth has been changing, not knowing to which end, and thus are the governments. Prince Khaled asked the audience: “Will those governments remain? Or will international organizations rule…or perhaps the militias or rather the corporations? Any answers?” The new batch of Youth Ambassadors was also announced in the presence of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Prince Bandar Bin Khaled Al-Faisal. The new youth ambassadors for 2013 will be working on propagating the Foundation's vision in their own countries and on activating the youth efforts in their communities. “Let's Rise with Our Language” is a project designed to enhance the use of the Arabic language and strengthen its position in areas such as national security. Prince Khaled called for all Arabs to stand up to the sweeping wave which is threatening the Arabic language and identity. He emphasized the importance of saving the Arabic language and the identity it represents. “We were dominant in the past and this made the Arabic language the flagship of culture and civilization. Today, we are exposed to strong political and cultural dominance by other languages, especially English,” he added. The Arab Thought Foundation thanked the Emirate of Dubai for giving the organization the opportunity to host its annual conference for the third time. The Foundation went on to stress the importance of holding “FIKR11” in an Emirate that has led the way towards e-governance. In addition to having led the Arab digital phase by crossing the barrier of digital transactions, Dubai has made interaction between citizens and their government a smooth and positive experience. Salem Khamis Al-Shair Al-Suwaidi, Deputy Director General for Information and eGovernment Sector, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), shared the e-government experience in the UAE, describing it as the exclusive experience in the Arab world, and the first e-government in the region. Mohammad A. Al-Ali, Senior Vice President of Finance at Saudi Aramco, followed by focusing on the economic and social issues that join citizens and government by sharing Saudi Aramco's experience in emphasizing the importance of the role that citizens can play within their partnerships with their governments and societies through organizational programs that meet both the citizens' needs and governments' vision. The afternoon sessions were themed: “The Arab world in 2020: Development and Future of Governments” the guest speakers included Former State Minister for Administrative Affairs in Lebanon Jean Ogassapian, Jordanian Deputy Mohammed Alhalayqa, and the Chief Executive of Arabia Monitor, Florence Eid. The first day concluded with an evening session themed: “Information and Government Transparency: A New Role for the Media.” The session underlined the power of the media in raising public awareness.
