3rd annual Arab Future Cities Summit gets under way in Dubai

The third annual Arab Future Cities Summit Dubai 2016 started here today at Palazzo Versace under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Emirates Group and Chairman Dubai Airports. Dubai Economic Council, DEC, is a strategic partner of the summit.

The conference has brought together over 400 senior government officials, tech experts, innovators, urban planners and consultants to be part of the most prominent smart cities summit in the Middle East.

Hani Rashid Al Hamli, Secretary-General of DEC; Hassan Al Mansouri, Assistant Undersecretary, Works, Ministry of Infrastructure Development; Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Member of the Board of Directors, Roads and Transport Authority, RTA, and Brigadier Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, General Director of Smart Services Department, Dubai Police, inaugurated the summit in the presence of other dignitaries.

The summit started with a welcome address from Hani Rashid Al Hamli, Secretary-General of DEC. Next came a presentation by Mark De Haes, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Cars, Middle East, on urban future mobility from a global perspective and how Daimler is shaping the future of mobility.

The summit focussed on the progress and development of smart city initiatives in Dubai and also highlighted the solutions to overcome the challenges present. Several leading regional and global experts were also present, including Andrey Belozerov, Deputy CIO, Moscow City; Noel Kirkaldy, Business Development - Public Sector, Advanced Mobile Network Solutions, Nokia, and Muammar Al Katheeri, Executive Vice President, Engineering Management and Smart City, Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority. While Belozerov spoke about big data for public services, Kirkaldy discussed creation of smart, safe and sustainable cities and Al Katheeri presented a case study on Dubai Silicon Oasis City.

"We are extremely honoured to have the 3rd Annual Arab Future Cities Summit Dubai 2016 to be held under the patronage of His Highness Ahmed Bin Saeed. We are also extremely grateful to the Dubai Economic Council for being the strategic partner of this summit. Our Summit is in line with the vision of the government and the council to make Dubai the world’s smartest city, where life is made simpler through innovative services that are seamless, safe, efficient and impactful, using smart technologies through various government-driven initiatives," said Brad Hariharan, Regional Director of Expotrade Middle East, which organised the conference.