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General Secretariat of League of Arab StatesHosts AROQA Annual Board Meeting

AROQA is characterized for its ongoing pursuit to achieve its mission crystallized by developing quality in education in cooperation with regional and international entities - Mr. Amre Moussa

AROQA has become an advisory entity in developing capacity building in quality assurance in education and academic excellence in a number of educational organizations in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain

among others,” Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh

CAIRO --- Under the Patronage of HE Mr. Amre Moussa, the secretary general of the League of Arab States (LAS), the Arab Organization for Quality Assurance

in Education (AROQA), held its annual Board Meeting with the presence of Chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) and AROQA’s Founder and Presi-dent Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh on July 1, 2010 at the head-quarters of the League’s General Secretariat in Cairo.

The meeting aimed at reviewing the most important developments and achievements and setting up a future strategy in light of the success realized during the rela-tively-short period of time since AROQA’s establishment.

During the meeting, Mr. Moussa in his capacity as the Honorary President of AROQA expressed his satisfaction with the accomplishments realized by the Organization and highlighted in AROQA 2009 Annual Report.

“AROQA is characterized for its ongoing pursuit to achieve its mission crystallized by developing quality in education in cooperation with regional and international

entities,” Moussa addressed the participants.

He called on all related Arab institutions to support the Organization’s efforts to advance the education’s level and standards in the Arab region.

Meanwhile, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of TAG-Org, highly commended the League’s patronage for AROQA’s objectives and aspirations.

“We are really honored with Mr. Amre Moussa’s generous patronage and his continuous support for the Organiza-tion. AROQA has become an advisory entity in developing capacity building in quality assurance in education and academic excellence in a number of educational organiza-tions in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain among others,” Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated.

The meeting was attended by Arab officials, experts and academic including AROQA Deputy President Profes-sor Saleh Hashem, Director General of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States (ABEGS), Dr. Ali Al-Karni,

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President of Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS) in KSA Professor Abdul Aziz Bin Saqr Al-Ghamdi, Ms. Faeqa Saeed Al Saleh, Advisor to the Secretary General of the League of Arab States, Director of Education and Sci-entific Research Department, General Director of Deposit Insurance Corporation in Jordan Dr. Mohammed Al-Jafari, International Expert in the Field of

Education and Higher Education in Tunisia Professor Mohamed Ben Fatma, Dean of Faculty of Science and IT, Zarqa Private University and Secretary General of the Colleges of Computing and Information Society Dr. Emad Abuelrub in addition to AROQA Executive Director Dr. Bay-an Abdulhaq.

During the meeting, the participants discussed strat-egies which aim at setting future work plans that will contribute in improving education in the Arab world by concentrating on the examination of quality assurance in primary, secondary and vocational education; imple-menting the international quality assurance standards in education in addition to setting up Arab quality assurance standards in conformity with the international ones.

Moreover, several recommendations were realized dur-ing the Board Meeting including the establishment of an advisory council which consists of Arab and international experts, enhancing and increasing means of cooperation with ministers of education and higher education to pro-mote the Organization’s goals and programs; in addition to holding a conference for AROQA that coincides with the founding meeting of the Scientific Research and Educa-tion Network (ASREN).

In the field of partnerships and international relations,

AROQA signed different cooperation agreements with ed-ucational organizations having interest in promoting the educational quality in the Arab countries, regionally and internationally including the Education Directorate at the League’s General Secretariat, Jordan Higher Education Ac-creditation Commission, and the Foundation for Interna-tional Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA) in addition to others.

The Arab Organization for Quality Assurance in Educa-tion (AROQA) is an international non-for-profit independ-ent association established in Belgium in 2007 with the fundamental objective of raising the quality of education in the Arab world through providing quality assurance services, capacity building and the dissemination of good practices. The Founder and President of AROQA is Mr. Ta-lal Abu-Ghazaleh, under the Honorary Presidency of his Excellency Mr. Amre Moussa, the secretary general of the League of Arab States. www.aroqa.org

DOHA- Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Develop-ment (GAID), Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, has recently met ictQATAR Secretary General - Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, along with Abdulaziz Al-Mahmoud, Executive Director - Planning and Technology, and Salwa Fakhro, Manager Institutional Relations.

Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh has been entrusted by the UN Secre-tary General, Ban Ki-moon to develop a plan to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before 2015. He has proposed to establish an eCenter to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The eCenter will also be development in many languages including Arabic.

Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh serves as Chairman of the Global Alliance for ICT and Development. He is also Chairman and founder of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org).

ictQATAR has a diverse and talented international team of nearly 200 people dedicated to connecting individuals to the technologies that can enrich their lives. ictQATAR Secretary General Dr. Al-Jaber is a board member of UNGAID.

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Abu-Ghazaleh Meets ictQATAR Secretary General

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TAG-Org and CIMA Launch First Global Arabic Certificate in Islamic Finance from a Professional Chartered Accountancy Body

AMMAN-The Talal Abu-Ghazaleh CIMA Academy host-ed the global launch of the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Certificate in Islamic Finance in Arabic in Amman on July 22nd at Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Forum/Talal Abu-Ghazaleh College of Busi-ness.

The launch of the Arabic certificate marks a major step forward for the Islamic finance industry – it is the first global qualification of its kind to be offered by a professionally chartered accountancy body.

Meanwhile, the two bodies will also cooperate in the Global Business Challenge; a competition in the busi-ness field provided by CIMA and will be represented in the Arab region through Talal Abu-Ghazaleh College of Business.

The competition is based on case study methodology and will be judged by field experts recommended by TAG-College.

Mr. Robert Jelly, executive director of CIMA Education

said: “It is a great honor to be here today in Amman, representing CIMA, the Chartered Institute of Manage-ment Accountants, for the launch of the TAG-CIMA Ara-

bic version of the CIMA Certificate in Islamic Finance.” “CIMA and TAG-Org have now been working in part-

nership for a number of years to bring CIMA and TAG-Org credentials to Jordan, the Gulf states and the wider Arab speaking nations. Cooperation in the fields of business accounting and Islamic finance has been pro-gressing well and I look forward to a growing partner-ship in years to come. The education and skills develop-ment of young people are close to both organizations’ hearts – giving young people the opportunity to have sustainable and successful careers from which they can devote their skills and knowledge for the well-being of the companies they work for and of the economies in which they live in,” he added.

Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of TAG-Org said:” We are really happy to join forces with CIMA in introducing the TAG-CIMA Arabic version of the CIMA Certificate in Islamic Finance. We believe it will have a positive impact and contribute to the success of the financial sector. Our work will continue to cover all as-pects of this certificate, promote it and work on devel-oping it according to our programs.”

For more information on the CIMA Certificate in Is-lamic Finance, please log on to www.tag-cima.com www.cimaglobal.com/islamicfinance.

CIMA and TAG-Org have now been working in partnership for a number of years to bring CIMA and TAG-Org credentials to Jordan, the Gulf states and the wider Arab speaking nations- Dr. Jelly

We are really happy to join forces with CIMA in introducing the TAG-CIMA Arabic version of the CIMA Certificate in Islamic Finance- Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh

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Abu-Ghazaleh Praises Young Musician Talent Iyad Sughayer

Iyad is a true and amazing sensation, the choice of music was so perfect that it touched

upon our feelings and took us in an extraordinary journey- Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh

AMMAN- Known for his passion for music and ultimate support for young talents, Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Ta-lal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) be-stowed on young musician Iyad Sughayer the TAG Shield for Young Musician during a piano recital held at the Union Bank Auditorium.

The event was held under the patronage of the British Ambassador to Jordan HE Mr. James Watt and attended by classical music lovers and fans of the young Iyad.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh praised the work of young Eyad and called him ‘a true and amazing sen-sation’; “the choice of music was so perfect that it touched upon our feelings and took us in an extraordinary journey.”

Young Iyad performed pieces from Chopin, Mozart, Schumann, Debussy, Khachaturian and Lebanese composer Bechara El Khoury.

A Jordanian pianist of Palestinian origin, Iyad Sughayer was born in Amman in Octo-ber 1993. At the age of five, he started taking piano lessons at the National Music Conserv-atory which was chaired by Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh in Amman under the direction of the distin-guished pianist, conductor and composer Mr. Mohammad Uthman Sidiq.

In 2009, he was invited to play in the Hay-

dn Festival at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He has been a finalist in the Manchester Chopin Competition and a semifinalist in the Manchester Concerto Competition.

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AMMAN -Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chair-man and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) received the Arab Youth Media Forum Award for his work and contribution to knowl-edge societies.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh said:” I really ad-

mire the efforts and work done by the Forum in the field of media. The results they have achieved during the past years are very impressive.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Haitham Yousef, ambassador of the Arab Youth Media Forum expressed his gratitude and thanked Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh for accept-ing the Award.

“We are very happy to have Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh with us; his work and sup-port for the young generation is truly unmatched,” he said.

Mr. Yousef stated “the best example can be seen through the eyes of stu-dents who visit the Talal Abu-Ghazal-eh Knowledge Society which was cre-ated to serve the students’ world.”

The Forum includes HRH Princess Rhym Al Ali and HRH Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud in addi-tion to other high profile dignitaries.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh born on April 22nd, 1938 in Jaffa, is the Chairman and Founder of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Or-ganization and Chair of the Global Al-liance for ICT and Development (GAID). Founded in 1972 (TAG-Org) is an inter-national professional services group, employing over 2000 professionals and operates out of its 73 offices in the Middle East, North Africa, Paki-stan, India, Cyprus, Russia and China. It has representative offices in Europe and North America and non-exclusive strategic alliance agreements with various networks and individual firms thus enabling it to choose a firm best suited to its clients’ needs in virtually every country in the world.

TAG-Org currently offers a com-posite range of professional services

covering Accounting; External Audit; Internal Audit; Corporate Govern-ance; Taxation; Educational Consul-tancy; Economic and Strategic stud-ies; Management Advisory Services; Professional and Technical Training; Technology Transfer Project Manage-ment; Real Estate Management; Inves-tors and Business Advisory Services; Human Resources and Recruitment Services; E-Government; E-Commerce; E-Education; IT and Security Audit; Webmastering and Web Design; Pro-fessional Interpretation and Trans-lation; Website Arabization: Domain Names Registration; ICT Strategic Planning; ERP Consulting Services; IT and Internet Skills Training and Ex-aminations; Intellectual Property News Agency; IP Business and Asset Valuation and Branding Services; IP Registration and Protection; Intellec-tual Property Renewals; IPR Protec-tion and Management; Legal Services (Solicitors and Attorneys); and Public Offering.

About Arab Youth Media ForumEstablished in 2008, the Arab Youth Me-dia Forum had set out, with its ‘Media Vision Through Youth’s Eyes’ motto, to be the pioneer, under whose umbrella

all the Arab media professionals and organizations are gathered. The Fo-rum is one of the annual activities of News Group, which aims to vitalize the communication between journalists and media organizations throughout the Arab world, besides being a prod-uct by youth who believe the sky to be the limit of the media’s freedom. The annual event features the awards cer-emony for specialized press awards, and annual business meetings man-aged by prominent Arab media pro-fessionals, as well as a media and com-munication technology exhibition.

About News Group News Group is a holding company specializing in the field of media and public relations. The firm is head-quartered in Dubai Media City, and is in partnership with five companies: Media Watch Middle East, Salience Research, Context, Media Source and Interactive Limited. The company was established in 2005, and currently em-ploys 300 professionals serving hun-dreds of clients in various industries in 31 countries. News Group supports students’ issues and provides training and educational courses at the univer-sity level in the Middle East.

Arab Youth Media Forum Honors Talal Abu-GhazalehThe Forum includes HRH Princess Rhym Al Ali and HRH Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz

Al-Saud in addition to other high profile dignitaries

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Abu-Ghazaleh Lectures about Global Financial Crisis at Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The price of one barrel of oil will reach $100 and will remain unchanged in anticipation of

new political changes – Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh

MUSCAT -Under the patronage of Vice-President of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mr. Jamil Bin Ali Sultan, Chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh delivered a lecture entitled the “Global Financial Crisis and its New Economic Implica-tions” at the Chamber’s headquarters in Muscat.

During the lecture which was at-tended by regional financial and economic experts, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh addressed several economic topics re-lated to the crisis.

“The financial crisis which started in 2008 will continue to affect the United States for a longer time, this is attributed to the need to change the economic infrastructure and to fundamentally deal with and address economic questions and hardships such as corruption, arrogance, greed and high-level decisions taken by the US economic institutions,” Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh said.

According to Abu-Ghazaleh, China

has currently become the second largest economy internationally and is soon expected to advance to the first rank stating Russia as another example for a country’s economic prosperity during time of crisis.

He continued to say that Africa will be the future of the world’s economy although poverty and starvation prevail in this continent; however, it is presently working on improving its economic restructure utilizing its rich resources.

Concerning oil and its price fluctua-tions, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh expected that the price of one barrel of oil will reach up to $100 and will remain invari-able in anticipation of new political changes mainly with the tendency of launching a war against Iran, by then, Mr. Abu- Ghazaleh said that the price of one barrel of oil is expected to sky-rocket to reach thousands of US dol-lars per barrel.

From another side, Mr. Abu-Ghazal-eh tackled the impact of the financial

crisis on Dubai stressing that Dubai is an international economic center which is comparable to Hong Kong and logically it will be influenced by the crisis due to its direct interaction with the global economy. Yet, he reit-erated that the economic infrastruc-ture in Dubai has not been affected by the crisis and its markets are still witnessing tangible commercial prosperity.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh warned of future more dangerous effects created by the crisis which erupted in 2008 re-futing all claims about the economic recovery of the European markets which entail exaggeration and mis-takes. On the contrary, “the world is approaching another severer wave as a result of the economic crisis un-less the developed countries take an action to rectify their economic sys-tems.”

At the end of the lecture, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh extended his gratitude to the Omani Chamber of Commerce and Industry and organizers for host-ing this event.

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TAG-Confucius› Mystical Chinese Culture Festival Concludes

From the ceremony

Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Mr. Lai Wanzhu, Cultural Attaché of Chinese Embassy in Jordan and Shenyang Normal University Band

This is the Chinese culture in all its glory and beauty; the wonderful depiction of certain eras in the Chinese civilization mixed with the beauty of sound decorated our senses. The performance opened the door to many people who are excited to know more about the

Chinese culture. It was a celebration of life – Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh

AMMAN - The mystical beauty of the ancient Chinese cul-ture mixed with colorful images of dragons and lanterns evoked the final day of the Chinese Cultural Heritage danc-ing and musical performance by Shenyang Normal Uni-versity Band organized by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Confucius Institute (TAG-Confucius) at Al Hussein Cultural Center.

Visions of ancient China were set in motion through a hazy atmosphere as varied Chinese musical instruments played in the background drawing images of love and peace.

The May 29-30 event, held under the patronage of Mr. Ta-lal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazal-eh Organization (TAG-Org), was attended by a host of dip-lomats headed by the Chinese and Korean ambassadors

and thousands of fans of the Chinese culture.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh said, “This is the Chinese culture in all its glory and beauty; the wonderful depiction of certain eras in the Chinese civilization mixed with the beauty of sound decorated our senses. The performance opened the door to many people who are excited to know more about the Chinese culture. It was a celebration of life.”

Meanwhile, according to Mr. Mohammad Sami Al-Kha-rouf, TAG-Confucius director, the event was a part of TAG-Confucius program which focuses on enriching and pro-moting knowledge of the Chinese culture.

“The numerous sketches, the colorful images and cos-tumes made us all feel as part of the event. We, at TAG-

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Confucius, will try to introduce the Chinese culture in all its glory through more events,” he said.

The cultural troupe of Drama College, in Shenyang Normal Uni-versity was set up in 2004 and composed of professors and stu-dents specializing in drama, dancing and Chinese traditional mu-sical instrument. The troupe has visited India, Djibouti, Republic of Korea, the US, Lebanon, Thailand, Hong Kong and now Jordan through cooperation with TAG-Confucius.

About TAG- ConfuciusTalal Abu-Ghazaleh Confucius Institute was established in Sep-tember 2008 to promote the Chinese language and culture, in or-der to reach a better mutual understanding between Arab and Chinese cultures. This is one-of-a-kind initiative based on the co-operation agreement between Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) and the Confucius Institute in China. The Institute was named after Confucius, the world-renowned great thinker, edu-cator and philosopher in Chinese history. Confucius’s thoughts have influenced China and other areas in the world for nearly 2000 years.

About Shenyang Normal UniversityBeing subordinate to Liaoning Provincial People’s Government, Shenyang Normal University is a comprehensive one covering eight categories like philosophy, economics, law, pedagogy, litera-ture, science, engineering science and management science. The University currently has 1645 full-time teachers and 14 specially-appointed professors, of which, 2 are academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 244 are professors and 593 are associate professors. The University has successively signed agreements on international academic exchange and cooperation with over 30 universities and colleges and scientific research institutions of America, England, Canada, Japan, Russia, Belgium, Denmark, Aus-tralia and Korea, etc.

Abu-Ghazaleh Tackles Cooperation with China

in Bahrain

We will take this cooperation into another level through opening Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Confucius Institute (TAG-Confucius) here in Manama to be the first specialized and approved institute to teach Chinese in the Gulf area – Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh

MANAMA -Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chair-man and CEO of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Or-ganization (TAG-Org) received HE Mr.Yang Weiguo the Chinese Ambassador to Bahrain and discussed ways of cooperation in vari-ous fields.

The Ambassador toured TAG-Org head-quarters and was briefed on the list of pro-fessional services presented by the Organi-zation.

“We are extremely happy with the level of cooperation with our Chinese counter-parts and in the coming days we will take this cooperation into another level through opening Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Confucius Insti-tute (TAG-Confucius) here in Manama to be the first specialized and approved institute to teach Chinese in the Gulf area,” Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh said.

The first TAG-Confucius institute was opened in Amman in September 2008 to promote the Chinese language and culture, in order to reach a better mutual under-standing between Arab and Chinese cul-tures and based on the cooperation agree-ment between TAG-Org and the Confucius Institute in China.

The Institute was named after Confucius, the world-renowned great thinker, edu-cator and philosopher in Chinese history. Confucius’s thoughts have influenced China and other areas in the world for nearly 2000 years.

The Ambassador commended on the role of TAG-Org in education through the many projects presented to Bahrainis and discussed ways of cooperation in this vital sector.

The meetings were attended by several officials from the Chinese Embassy in Man-ama and TAG-Org’s executive directors and heads of activities.

Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Mr. Lai Wanzhu, Cultural Attaché of Chinese Embassy in Jordan and Mr. Mohammad Sami Al-Kharouf at the ceremony

Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh receives HE Mr.Yang Weiguo, the Chinese Ambassador to Bahrain and the accompanied delegation

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His Royal Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman receives Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh and the accompanied delegation

TAG-Confucius› Mystical Chinese Culture Festival ConcludesHRH the Prime Minister highlighted the tendency of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization to

diverse its fields of business in the Kingdom and its eagerness to optimally utilize the attractive investment environment in the country

MANAMA -His Royal Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman, Bahraini Prime Minister stated that the economic devel-opment strategies which Bahrain adopts and its lead-ing position internationally in various fields have made the Kingdom the premier destination for investment, welcoming in this regard the decision of Talal Abu-Ghaz-aleh Organization (TAG-Org) to carry out its businesses through its new premises in Manama along with its 73 of-fices worldwide.

This came during the reception by the Prime Minister of Dr. Talal Abu- Ghazaleh, chairman of TAG-Org, who pre-sented a number of vital projects to be established in the Kingdom including the registration of the Arab Society of Certified Accountants and the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Confu-cius Institute (TAG-Confucius) as well as inviting the Fo-rum of Firms to hold its gathering in Bahrain.

Moreover, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh revealed the tendency of the Organization to double its foreign currency transfer to the Kingdom through the various professional services TAG-Org provides in addition to the inauguration of the new premises of TAG-Org.

HRH the Prime Minister highlighted the tendency of Ta-lal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization to diverse its fields of busi-ness in the Kingdom and its eagerness to optimally utilize the attractive investment environment in the country. The Prime Minister also praised the Organization’s plan to rely upon the professional Bahraini man force, which

reflects the confidence in national capabilities. HRH as-sured the internationally high standing TAG-Org enjoys being the most efficient professional services group in the region.

HRH the Prime Minister confirmed keenness of Bah-rain to provide all proper conditions that guarantee the growth of investment activities in the Kingdom, especial-ly under the good reputation of the Kingdom in the region and its expertise in that field. HRH pointed out that the international economic changes and global financial cri-sis require the diversity of service activities, and the finan-cial activity in particularly, to keep driving the economic boost.

During the meeting, the projects and activities the Or-ganization performs in the fields of administrative and scientific capacity building, development plans and pro-grams and the strategic programs offered by TAG-Org were also discussed.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh highly praised the embracing of Bah-rain to the Organization’s headquarters and the support provided by HRH the Prime Minister to the Organization, which encouraged it to take such step, underscoring the attractive investment environment in the country and the advanced legislative and organizational framework that enhances its economic strategies along with the professional Bahraini man force that make investment in various institutions a success.

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UN-GAID Chairman Tackles MDG e-solutions Center at UNCTAD

HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Receives Abu-Ghazaleh in Riyadh

HRH the Prime Minister highlighted the tendency of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization to diverse its fields of business in the Kingdom and its eagerness to optimally utilize the attractive investment

environment in the country

GENEVA -Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of the United Nation-al Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID), stressed that development runs faster with ICT, during his speech at the Board of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Develop-ment (UNCTAD) High Level Panel held in Geneva.

“There is one development path undertaken by GAID to ful-fill this mission through MDG e-solutions Center which consists of ICT Matrix, computer aided e-MDG mega portal of portals, e-strategic planner and Compendium of Excellence in ICT solu-tions and virtual consultants,” he said.

“This project aims at bringing together the grand collabora-tion of all stakeholders in one knowledge center which will be launched in March 2011. GAID invites to join: visit our portal, en-rich it, populate it and join our consultation process,” he added.

According to Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh, the timeline will focus on de-veloping the center and organize seminars pointing out that

there are around 10 scheduled events to date.

“GAID is organizing in cooperation with the GCC secretariat a seminar on the project in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia with the par-ticipation of six countries,” he said.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that GAID continues to provide con-sultations to countries on implementation adding that a sum-mit will be held at the UN headquarters in New York July 26th 2010 for all concerned parties.

Meanwhile, a report will be presented at the High level Meet-ing on the UN General Assembly in September 2010.

During the meeting, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh announced that Bah-rain welcomes hosting the African MDG e-solutions Regional Center and also announced the launch of the first fully func-tional news agency specialized in the field of Information and communication technology (ICT).

RIYADH-President of the Arab Gulf Develop-ment Program (AGFUND), His Royal Highness Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz, has confirmed that AGFUND is moving ahead to support the United Nations’ efforts in building knowl-edge societies, employing technology for de-velopment and eradication of poverty, and empowering Arab communities to achieve the goals of the Millennium.

HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz has re-ceived Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID), at his office in Riyadh and discussed several issues.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh briefed his Royal High-

ness on the latest development on the mis-sion which has been recently assigned to him by the United Nations, to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs) through the use of infor-mation and communication technology.

The objective is to create an electronic portal for hosting successful technology applications in economic, social, health and educational domains.

The meeting also included discussions on aligning AGFUND’s development policies with the mission of Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh; fur-thermore, His Royal Highness fully supports all the efforts in the direction of creating successful partnership between AGFUND

and the United Nations, which has existed since the beginning of 1980.

His Royal Highness also stressed AGFUND’s

interest in employing technology for sus-tainable development.

The Arab Open University is an example of AGFUND’s keen interest in development and in employing technology in its administra-tive and academic uses through its campus-es in seven Arab countries.

In addition, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh met with AGFUND’s executive management in order to identify and explore the frame of coopera-tion.

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh was briefed about the program’s contributions in support of de-velopment, and aid provided to developing communities to reach the eight Millennium Goals, including eradication of poverty, and expanding the partnership for develop-ment.

Discussions have also been on developing possible programs in which AGFUND can contribute in its funding in order to achieve mutual goals of both AGFUND and UN-GAID.

Mr. Naser Al-Qahtani, executive director for AGFUND, stressed that creating aware-ness of the developmental applications of technology is a strategic goal of the Arab Gulf Development Program, especially in its new phase which is devoted to institutionaliza-

tion, and pointed out that AGFUND’s Interna-tional Prize for this year was entirely about developing the non-urban areas through the use of technology. He also stated that providing advanced technology to be used by the poor will help eradicate poverty, and that AGFUND, through its program, is work-ing on establishing banks, for the poor, in the Arab world.

Mr. Al-Qahtani elaborated that any part-nership between AGFUND and Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh, through the United Nations and its agencies working in the area of develop-ment, as well as the interest of both sides in the relationship between technology and sustainable development, will not only move cooperation forward, but will also serve de-velopment of the Arab world.

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Abu-Ghazaleh Announces UN-GAID E-Millennium Development Goals Center

The Chairman of UN-GAID proposed to establish an E-Center to achieve the Millennium Development Goals to be named; UN-GAID E-Millennium Development Goals Center (E-MDG Center). The pro-posal was adopted and supported by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who accepted the honorary presidency of UN-GAID and E-MDG Center

RIYADH-Under the patronage of the GCC Secretary-General, Mr. Abdul Rahman Ibn Hamad Al-Attiyah, a seminar entitled “E-solutions for MDGs” organized by the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United Nations Glo-bal Alliance on ICT and Development (UN-GAID) concluded in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Deputizing for Mr. Al-Attiyah, GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs Mr. Mohammed Obaid Al Maz-roui said that the seminar is at valuable addition to the ef-forts exerted by the GCC states to accelerate steps towards the achievement of the sustainable Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs).`

“The GCC states have utilized their financial resources to implement development programs and strategies which aim at realizing welfare for the citizens and prosperity for the whole region,” Al Mazroui said in a speech delivered on behalf of Mr. Al-Attiyah.

Experts from the six GCC countries participated in order to be introduced to the UN-GAID Millennium Development Goals E-Center developed by UN-GAID under the mandate and honorary chairmanship of the UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon and UN-GAID Chairman Dr. Talal Abu-Ghaz-aleh.

The objectives and mission for the establishment of the UN-GAID Millennium Development Goals E-Center have been intensively discussed at the seminar

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh was entrusted by the UN Secretary Gen-eral to develop a plan to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before 2015.

The Chairman of UN-GAID proposed to establish an E-Center to achieve the Millennium Development Goals to be named; UN-GAID E-Millennium Development Goals Center (E-MDG Center). The proposal was adopted and supported by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who accept-ed the honorary presidency of UN-GAID and E-MDG Center.

Attending the seminar were Deputy of Saudi Minister of Commerce and Planning His Excellency Mr. Ahmad Alhaka-mi, GCC Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Affairs Mr. Mohammed Obaid Al Mazroui, Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh among others.

At the opening session of the two-day seminar, a rich dia-logue brought together government representatives from the GCC states, researchers and academics, representatives from the private sector along with UN experts; the CEO of the E-MDG Center Mr. Sergei Kambalov, Honorary Advisor to GAID Chairman Ambassador Mr. Sarbuland Khan and Professor Amjad Umar during which the main goals of this vital development project were underscored.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh highly commended this interactive ses-sion and the valuable outcome which will enrich the Center and its development since it gathers all UN organizations and entities in addition to institutions of civil society and IT companies worldwide.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh, in his plan to launch the activities of the Center, said that there shall be a preliminary meeting to be held at UN headquarters in New York to discuss the

work and activities of the E-MDG Center and to launch the E-MDG Center in full at the World Summit by the Secretary General of the United Nations in September 2010. Also, the declaration on the right of access to the information soci-ety shall be presented at the annual conference of UN-GAID on December 6, 2010.

UN-GAID has started to arrange national and regional workshops and seminars to discuss the activities of the Center at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council. After that, similar seminars that cover other areas around the world will be organized.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh referred to his meeting with His Royal Highness, Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz regarding holding a special seminar to discuss twining between the goals of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia five-year-plan and the five-year-plan of the Center and how to achieve the desired goals through electronic solutions centers to achieve devel-opment, which includes a matrix of information and com-munication technology, a comprehensive portal of technol-ogy, development and the electronic strategic plan and the best e-solutions complex, a consulting department, and the tools to achieve the program.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh also pointed out that the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain has offered to set up a regional center for capacity building of African States and to under-take training on the objectives of the center and to use the comprehensive portal and matrix. He also explained that the program would be taught by the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh College of Business in Jordan through granting an execu-tive master’s program which focuses on MDGs and achiev-ing the same through the activities of the center.

The United Nations Global Alliance on ICT and Develop-ment (UN-GAID) was founded in response to a decision from the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) held in Tunis in 2005.

The (UN-GAID) chaired since the beginning of 2010, by Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, who succeeded former president, Mr. Craig Barrett, CEO and Chairman of Intel Corporation, the alliance is concerned about development and information technology. UN-GAID members include representatives of governments, the private sector, civil society and interna-tional organizations.

13

AGIP Receives MIP’s ‘Middle East IP Firm of the Year’ Award for 2010 for the Fourth Consecutive Year

According to MIP, the awards rec-ognize the achievements in IP work over the past year, whether in prose-cution, litigation, licensing or other works. They mark the culmination of MIP’s five month-long annual global survey of the world’s leading IP firms

LONDON –Abu-Ghazaleh Intellec-tual Property (AGIP) has recently received, for the fourth time in a row, the “Middle East IP Firm of the Year” Award for 2010 at the Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) 5th Annual Awards Dinner held at The Dorchester Hotel, London.

According to MIP, the awards recognize the achievements in IP work over the past year, whether in prosecution, litigation, licens-ing or other works. They mark the culmination of MIP’s five month-long annual global survey of the world’s leading IP firms.

The awards presented are the result of a long and extensive process of research.

As per the results of the survey released by MIP Managing, AGIP was ranked in Tier One for trade-mark, patent and copyright pros-ecution and contentious work.

“It is a great honor to attend such a distinguished event in the world of Intellectual Property to receive the Award for the Best Intellectual Property firm in the Middle East for the fourth year in a row,” said Dima Naber, AGIP In-ternational Clients Department

Manager who received the award on behalf of AGIP.

“For more than 35 years; our cli-ents have trusted AGIP with the quality of IP services and this award recognizes their confi-dence and loyalty in our services,” she added.

MIP’s survey is the largest and most in-depth ever; it covered both prosecution and conten-tious work in 65 jurisdictions in-cluding the Americas, Asia and Europe.

Managing Intellectual Prop-erty (MIP) was founded in 1990. It is now firmly established as the leading international magazine for IP owners. MIP is published 10 times a year and includes news, data, in-depth articles and inter-views with influential IP figures.

AGIP is a member of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org). Founded in 1972, TAG-Org is an international professional services group, chaired by Talal Abu-Ghazaleh that employs over 2000 professionals and operates out of its 71 offices in the Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan, In-dia, Cyprus, Russia, China and Af-ghanistan.

Ms. Dima Naber receives Middle East IP Firm of the Year Award for 2010 on behalf of AGIP

14

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Society (TAG-Knowledge) Activities

TAG-Knowledge Hosts CPR and CardiacArrest Workshop

AMMAN -Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Society (TAG-Knowledge) hosted a cardiopulmonary re-suscitation (CPR) and cardiac arrest workshop in cooperation with King Hussein Cancer Center.

The event attended by TAG-Knowledge members tackled the warning signs of cardiac arrest in which a victim loses consciousness, stops normal breathing and loses pulse and blood pressure.

Attendees learned how to give cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to help keep the cardiac ar-rest victim alive until emergency help arrives. CPR keeps blood and oxygen flowing to the heart and brain until defibrillation can be administered.

Mr. Tareq Hammad, TAG-Knowledge executive director said, “This was one of the most education-al and enjoyable workshops, members had a chance to try the CPR, learned medical terms and practice in case of emergency.”

“We have a lot of requests from members asking for more workshops that tackle such subjects and of course we will try to find more interesting subjects to satisfy the needs of our loyal mem-bers,” he added.

About King Hussein Cancer CenterThe mission of King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) is to provide state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer care to the people of Jordan and the Middle Eastern region. The Center is also working to improve access to education, training, public awareness and research in order to decrease mor-tality and alleviate suffering from cancer in accordance with the highest standards and quality of care.

15

Assistant Commercial Attaché at the French Embassy Visits TAG- Knowledge

Jordan University Presents TAG-Knowledge with an Honorary Shield

Ms. Kadis praised the level of services provided by TAG-Knowledge to students and called for organizing a French cultural week at TAG-Knowledge headquarters to shed light on the French culture, customs and traditions

AMMAN - Ms. Anne Kadis, Assistant Commercial Attaché at the French Embassy in Amman toured on July 25, 2010 the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Society (TAG-Knowledge) facilities and expressed her admiration of the services pro-vided to students.

Mr. Tareq Hammad, executive director of TAG-Knowledge gave a briefing on the role played by TAG-Org in providing academic, educational and professional services to the sectors operating in Jordan as per the highest standards of efficiency and quality.

Ms. Kadis was escorted on a tour around the sections of TAG-Knowledge and was introduced to the various serv-ices provided to students of various universities.

Ms. Kadis praised the level of services provided by TAG-Knowledge to students and called for organizing a French cul-tural week at TAG-Knowledge headquarters to shed light on the French culture, customs and traditions in addition to inviting French students in Jordan to join TAG-Knowledge.

At the end of the tour, Mr. Hammad welcomed the cooperation between TAG-Knowledge and the French Embassy, ex-pressing TAG-Knowledge readiness to host the French cultural week and hold French language courses among the ac-tivities organized by TAG-Knowledge for students.

AMMAN- In appreciation for its role in serving university students, the Faculty of Arts

at the Jordan University and the Jordan University Student Union presented Talal

Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Society (TAG-Knowledge) with an honorary shield.

The event is part of the Film Week of the Jordan University held under the patronage

of Dr. Ahmed Majdoubeh, dean of the Faculty of Arts at the Jordan University.

Mr. Tareq Hammad, executive director of TAG-Knowledge expressed his appreciation

to the University saying “We are really happy to be part of the work of the Jordani-

an University as we share the same goals in serving students and developing their

skills.”

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We are really happy to be part of the work of the Jordanian University as we share the same goals in serving students and developing their skills – Hammad

16

TAG- Knowledge Organizes a Workshopon Voluntary Work

AMMAN-Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Society (TAG-Knowledge) held a workshop entitled “Volunteer Work is A Service for your Society and Development of Yourself ” on July 13, 2010. A distinguished group of the Society’s mem-bers attended the workshop which dealt with the objec-tives of voluntary work, its definition and methods and the advantages that will be obtained by individuals, in ad-dition to the difficulties that will face those who are work-ing in this field, such as time management, self confidence and dealing with others.

The lecture was given by Dr. Mohammad Bushnaq and Mr. Yousef Musallam from Bab Al-Khair Society for Volunteer Work, who in their turn answered the inquiries of the au-dience and their interventions.

TAG- Knowledge Organizes A lecture on the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Persons

AMMAN-Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge

Society (TAG-Knowledge) held a special-

ized lecture entitled “The Seven Habits

of Highly Effective Persons,” delivered

by Dr. Mohammad Bushnaq who gave

an introduction to the seven habits of

highly effective persons represented by

initiative, determination of priorities

and objectives, in addition to thinking in

the common interest and the attempt to

understand others very well, as well as

to the principle of cooperation, morality

and the renewal of activity in a perma-

nent way.

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17

Center for Continuing Education and Community Service in Kuwait Celebrates TAG-Cambridge Graduates

The University is keen on developing students› technical skill- Al- Ahmad

KUWAIT CITY---July 4, 2010---The Center for Continuing Ed-ucation and Community Service at Kuwait University has recently celebrated TAG-Cambridge CID-IT graduates in a special ceremony held at the University’s headquarters in Al-Adiliya.

The celebration was attended by Mrs. Fawziyeh Ma’rifi, di-rector of the Center and officials from Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) - Kuwait Office, Mr. Abdul Latif Al-Ahmad, chief associate of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organi-zation, Mr. Hazem Abu-Ghazaleh, executive director of Kuwait Office and Mr. Ahmad Odeh, director of TAG- Cam-bridge CID-IT program.

Mr. Al-Ahmad thanked all those working in the commu-nity service center and continuing education who work continuously for the activation and success of the Inter-national Cambridge program in Information Technology skills CID-IT.

He especially thanked Mrs. Ma’rifi, for her great efforts in organizing the training course and her keenness to facili-tate all procedures related to its implementation.

He addressed the participants in the program saying: “This shows your eagerness to develop your scientific skills and capabilities through participation in the various special-ized professional programs that we always encourage our sons to attend due to their importance and effects on the development of the Kuwaiti society.”

Al-Ahmad emphasized that Cambridge Certificate pro-gram CID-IT has attracted the attention of various gov-ernmental institutions in Kuwait such as the Ministry of

Education, the Public Authority for Applied Education, the Central Organization for Information Technology in addi-tion to Kuwait University.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Ma’rifi expressed her appreciation to Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization and praised its distin-guished services and continuous efforts in facilitating all procedures related to hold the examinations.

Mrs. Ma’rifi stated that the Center for Continuing Educa-tion and Community Service is currently preparing to conduct two additional programs for a group of univer-sity students. It is worth mentioning that the Center has been adopted in 2009 as one of the training and exam centers for TAG - Cambridge CID-IT.

The Center for Community Service was set up in 1976 to meet the multiple needs of the Kuwaiti society with re-gard to specialized training to enhance skills and capabili-ties.

The Center, through its mission, aims at developing the community, providing advisory services and displaying a bright image of the Kuwaiti society before the visiting delegations.

The Center also endeavors to raise the cultural, social and economic awareness at all levels of the Kuwaiti society, thus contributing to the formation of behavioral pat-terns and enhancing knowledge and skills in technical areas to improve living standards, as well as supporting national development plans through clear strategies and advanced training programs.

From left: Mr. Ahmad Odeh, Mr. Hazem Abu-Ghazaleh, Mr. Abdul Latif Al-Ahmad, Mrs. Fawziyeh Ma’rifi and Mrs. Fatmah Hasan among graduates of the International Cambridge program in Information Technology skills CID-IT