The DIFC Centre of Excellence recently hand picked several students to attend the Young Arab Leaders (YAL) Forum in New York.

Sponsored by Al Ahli Group, the students were taken to the event to act as representatives of the region and gained valuable experience from attending the high level conference and seminar, the organisers said in a statement.

The YAL Global Action Forum in New York focused on Arab and American dialogue and offered an ideal opportunity to increase mutual understanding and develop business relationships between the Arab and American nations whilst establishing long-term networks of cooperation between the two regions, it added.

“As the world’s economic environment continues to develop, we understand the importance of dialogue and are committed to enhancing and improving the level of cross-cultural communication that is so important in today’s ever changing world,” said DIFC Centre of Excellence chief executive officer Faten Hani.

“By sending the students to the forum, the DIFC has reaffirmed its commitment to the education and development of a generation of future leaders. We are delighted to see that the students have returned both empowered and inspired,” Hani said.

“We are delighted to be supporting YAL in their efforts to develop the region’s human capital by offering this invaluable opportunity to the selected students. Attending the YAL New York Forum offered the students an opportunity to discuss and debate the key topics affecting Arabs in the international business community and has provided them with a sound foundation for their future growth and development,” said Al Ahli Group chief executive officer Mohammed Khammas.

YAL members have been hand-picked from a broad cross-section of disciplines including business, politics, academia, media, arts, culture and civil society, the organisers said. 

“As Arab businessmen and women continue their emergence on the global business scene we are committed to providing every opportunity for young Arabs to prosper in their chosen careers. YAL is the region’s foremost development platform for business, public sector and civil society leaders in the Middle East and we hope that attending the New York forum will motivate the young students to great things in the future,” said YAL chief executive officer Assem O Kabesh.

Specially selected from the American University of Sharjah and Zayed University, the seven students acted as rapporteurs to the discussions and will compose a report on the conference. The report will be published on the YAL and Centre of Excellence websites, the organisers said. – TradeArabia News Service