Top experts from various fields will take part in the first Rolex Middle East Forum taking place in Dubai on Wednesday (Nov 19).

The Rolex Middle East Forum will feature nine distinguished international experts and nine of their counterparts from across the UAE and the region, and moderators Hala Gorani of CNN International, and celebrated Arab media personality Georges Kordahi of MBC.

The event is held under the patronage and presence of Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. It is organized by the Rolex Awards for Enterprise in association with the UAE Higher Colleges of Technology.

The forum will comprise three panel discussions focused on the state of science and innovation in the Middle East, the preservation of the region’s natural environment and cultural heritage, and the role of women as a force for social change.

World-renowned heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, pioneering Nasa astronaut Dr Kathryn Sullivan, and former Ecuadorian environment minister Yolanda Kakabadse are among the distinguished panelists confirmed. Dr Tayeb Kamali, vice chancellor of the UAE Higher Colleges of Technology system and Group CEO of the Centre of Excellence, Research and Training (CERT), is among the regional panelists confirmed for the forum.

Other regional speakers include Sayyid Sulaiman Mohammed Al Busaidi, adviser to the Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, Government of Oman; Abdul Aziz Al Midfa, director general, Environment and Protected Areas, Government of Sharjah; and Najla Al Awadhi, member of the UAE Federal National Council.

The event will be held at Madinat Theater, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. – TradeArabia News Service