Festival of Thinkers Conference Concludes, Abu-Ghazaleh Addresses Leaders of Tomorrow

ABU DHABI --- November 16, 2011--- HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) stressed the enormous need to support leaders of tomorrow and to provide the new generations with all available mechanisms and resources to prepare them to lead positive changes in their communities.

The fourth Festival of Thinkers Conference, organized by the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and inaugurated by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research and Chancellor, Higher Colleges of Technology at the Khalifa City Women’s College, provided a platform to foster and celebrate thinking, inspiring the youth of the region, and allowed thinkers from around the world to come together and share their ideas and thoughts.

This gathering was the place for Nobel laureates and world’s most eminent thinkers to meet and address vital diverse issues mainly the Global Renewal under a New Economic Order, Global Economic Crisis, Environment: Sustainable World for Our Children, Health & UN Millennium Development Goals, Leaders of Tomorrow, Reframing Education, Inspiring through the Arts and Global Challenges: Making Education Count in addition to others.
In his speech entitled Education for Citizenship, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh said that citizenship education is the path to education reform because it provides national inspirations, a sense of duty to change society for the better and civic competences for lifelong learning.

"Education about citizenship provides us with the knowledge and belongingness to our history, geography, nation, and aspirations while Education through citizenship provides us with “civic” involvement in our community, promotes values of social responsibility, and deals with the ideals of societies including rights and duties," he said.
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh called for tangible and practical initiatives and programs that upgrade the youth’s capacity building in all fields mainly in education, information technology and communications among others.
“I believe that the best way to predict the future is to make it and our tool to build and make the future will be in shaping its political, economic and social aspects in terms of knowledge,” HE Abu-Ghazaleh said in a panel discussion focusing on Leaders of Tomorrow and moderated by Ms. Julia Cart, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, Los Angeles Times.

“The major obstacle we encounter so as to strengthen the weak is the basic illiteracy, which has been a constant challenge facing mankind, for over thousands of years, since the dawn of civilization, that is, the eradication of illiteracy which we have so far failed to realize.”

However, Abu-Ghazaleh pointed out that the information and communication technologies can contribute effectively and substantially towards greater safety of mankind.
One of the panels at the conference included: Shiv Khemka, Vice Chairman, Sun Group, India, Dr. J. Michael Ortiz, President, California State Polytechnic University, Adrian Fenty, Former Mayor of District of Columbia, USA, Sabriye Tenberken, Co-Founder, Braille without borders, India and Kathleen Martinez-Berry, Archaeologist, Dominican Republic.

Meanwhile, delegates formed roundtables with world thinkers to explore the issues of the present and future effects of the Global Economic Crisis; and also creating a sustainable world for future generations, particularly children.
Another roundtable saw former Kentucky Governor and fast food entrepreneur John Y. Brown combine with Dr. Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, scientific advisor to the Cuban State Council, to chair the discussion on the implications of the financial crisis. The second roundtable saw Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams give a spirited oration on the need to provide greater care for the most vulnerable members of society – the world’s children.