The Future Capitals World Summit

What is it? A 50-nation summit and a first-of-its-kind gathering of leaders is being held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.

The summit will bring together leaders in business, government, technology, culture and academia to offer insights into the next generation of great cities across the world. Major topics will include how emerging cities can partner with recovering or maturing capitals to promote financial stability.

The summit is being hosted by Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce with support of the CEOs for Cities group, the United Nations Culture of Peace programme, United Nations Office for Project Services, Women Impacting Public Policy, and Mercociudades, with the goal of discovering the qualities shaping future capitals and helping current world-leading cities adapt and remain vital.

Why is it important? Given the ongoing current global economic crisis, speakers at the summit will discuss better regulation of the financial system, prudent CEOs' path to fiscal leadership, redirecting human capital to develop better models for energy innovations, expediting investments in infrastructure capital to provide employment opportunities, and responsible cultures and capitalism.

Sam Hamdan (pictured), Chief Executive of Global Leadership Team, the event's US organiser and the summit's founder and chief strategist, said: "I see a lot of reasons why this crisis will create tomorrow's opportunities, and why the high tide of real growth and sustainable competitiveness will emerge from the world's next great capitals: those places that will attract financial capital to their shores."

Who's going to be there? Among the roster of innovators, mayors, business leaders and academics is the former president of Mexico Vicente Fox, world-renowned physicist and cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking (pictured), award-winning musician, composer and producer Peter Buffett, CEO of Arab Media Group Abdullatif Al Sayegh, Mayor of Rome TH Gianni Alemanno, and the heads of next-generation corporate leaders like Advanced Micro Devices and Research in Motion, the BlackBerry-maker.

Where can I get more information?

Log onto www.futurecapitals.org   

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