I am pleased to welcome you, ladies and gentlemen and I am pleased and honoured to have received the invitation to speak about the future challenges facing the Arab countries and about our experience in the UAE.
I think you must be as glad as I am to be living in this very exciting age. The world that our fathers knew is giving way to a new order, just as the world their fathers knew moved on. New generations develop and the world prospers. This is the nature of evolution and a lesson well learnt from our cultural heritage, which tells us that the only thing that remains constant is the inevitability of change.
The unprecedented rate of change we observe today is creating a new reality, one that affects each and every one of us politically, economically, socially and culturally. Therefore, we realize that the challenges we face are difficult.
Naturally, new realities create new challenges and responsibilities for Arab leadership. It is essential that we separate truth from myth, determine our objectives, gather our resources and set trends and priorities. We must do this with economic, political, educational and technological challenges in addition to fighting illiteracy and administrative corruption. It is also imperative that we increase the participation of the people by developing parliamentary institutions, while emphasising transparency and fighting corruption.
Another important responsibility of today's Arab leadership is to enable our people and our private sector to compete at the global level. It is crucial that we resolve differences based on principles of international legitimacy and that we establish equality amongst the human race.
As we are about to establish peace and the people of our region detest military disputes, I call upon the governments of the world to set aside 20 percent of their annual military budgets for education and culture and to bridge the gap between advanced industrial countries and developing countries. E-companies should also help developing countries in this transition and developing countries should fight corruption and focus on education and culture.
We in the UAE had nothing, but thanks to the wise leadership of H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the President, (may Allah protect him), we now have everything: trade, industry, agriculture, security and stability. Many countries were years ahead of us but the UAE has surpassed them and is now on a par with many of the world's most developed countries.
We have shifted from traditional commerce to e-commerce, which we expect to grow greatly in the coming years due to the wise leadership of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum who has made Dubai what it is today with his leadership. We have created an e-government and asked our executives and managers to shape up and adapt within 18 months or step aside. We have made Dubai Internet City a reality in a single year. Since Dubai Internet City was launched, 200 international companies have moved their offices here and many others are on the waiting list. Then we launched the Dubai Media City. We do not wait for things to happen, we make them happen.
Every man should have a vision and objectives and set himself a certain time in which to achieve them. I believe that in the race for excellence, there is no finish line. All leaders dream, but the real leader is he who transforms dreams into reality. We are determined to continue developing Dubai and the region. With Allah's guidance and support, we will achieve great success, set an example and keep our position in the lead. My vision is to put Dubai in the lead of the information economy by the end of 2010.
The destination is clear, the road lies ahead. There is no time for hesitation or half-hearted efforts. Many talk, but we achieve.
May peace be with you all.
