MANAMA - The Union of Arab ICT Associations (IJMA3) announced that Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chair of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), will address the opening session of the MENA ICT Week 2010, to be held January 26-28 in Bahrain.

Entitled “Driving Economies for a Better Future”, the MENA ICT Week 2010 will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Atiyatalla Al Khalifa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and in partnership with Bahrain Internet Society, IJMA3, US Commercial Service Gulf Future Business, Bahrain E-Government Authority, and the Arab Regional ISPs & DSPs Association (ARISPA).

According to an official announcement by IJMA3, “Abu-Ghazaleh’s name has been synonymous with global ICT leadership for decades.  He has been a pioneer in industry and international diplomacy.  As the founder and chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) and Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP), he quickly became known as the “godfather of Arab accounting.”

“After a series of prestigious appointments, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appointed Abu-Ghazaleh deputy chairman of the UN Global Compact in 2007, a leading initiative to encourage businesses worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies. Later that year, he was inducted into the IP Hall of Fame, thus joining the world's most prominent figures in IP.  Recently, Abu-Ghazaleh took over as Chair of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development, a leading global initiative composed of leading representatives from the international public, private and civil society sectors.”

The US State Department Senior Advisor for Innovation, Alec Ross, is also going to participate in this event, according to IJMA3.

“Ross has played a key role in bridging the digital divide by bringing broadband into the homes of low-income residents, and developing online hubs for information on jobs, health care, and education.  He first broke onto the international stage by founding the non-profit One Economy, which uses technology to help low-income communities. Joining President Obama’s presidential campaign in 2006, he was tasked with developing the candidate’s tech and innovation strategy.   Ross subsequently brought his talents to the State Department, where he was named senior adviser for innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. There he is tasked with figuring out how to use the global communications network to address health pandemics, human rights violations, poverty and diplomacy, and is one of the administration’s chief thinkers and strategists on technology, innovation, and global development.”

The Conference of the MENA ICT Week 2010 will host distinguished speakers, experts and guests both at regional and international levels. In addition, the event will host the Arab Golden Chip Awards that recognize Arabs who have contributed to the development of ICT in their countries and in the Arab region.

IJMA3, an alliance of Arab ICT organizations, was formed during the regional ICT conference held at the Dead Sea in Jordan in March 2004. Its members include the ICT associations of Algeria, Morocco, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Tunisia.  As a uniting platform of the Arabic ICT private sector, IJMA3 is concerned with accelerating the process of development in the Arab countries through ICT.