Agenda (Subject to change)

On June 15th, the opening of the Tadawul, Saudi Arabia's $600 billion Stock Exchange, allowed the roughly 165 listed companies, particularly those that are not in the oil business, to raise money directly from foreign investors, with the goal of expanding businesses, diversifying the economy and creating more jobs for the kingdom's growing population. Before then, foreigners only could access the market indirectly, through a local Saudi institution, which was costly and complicated. The stock exchange's estimated value makes it the biggest in the Middle East. Among the companies listed, petrochemical firms make up a fifth of Tadawul, with heavyweights like Saudi Basic Industries Corp. The move comes at a crucial time for the MENA Region, where revenues have suffered from a plunge in oil prices over the past year. Bringing in foreign capital may prove to be a critical boost to the economies of both OPEC Members and countries like Egypt that rely on them while simultaneously allowing US and other investors the opportunity to share in the growth potential of the Region. There are, however, regulations in place for foreign investors. Presently, only financial institutions with $5 billion or more of assets under management, and have been in operation for five or more years, are eligible to invest. This panel will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the major Capital Markets from Egypt to the Persian Gulf, and the impact from increasing participation of institutional investors and reducing the role of smaller investors, the latter of which makes up 34.4 percent of the stock market ownership but accounts for nearly 90 percent of trading activity.

Experts forecast that the global population in urban areas will grow to more than two-thirds by 2050, presenting both challenges and tremendous opportunity in the free flow of transportation as the economic lifeblood of cities. This panel will discuss how improved transportation logistics is a global priority for economic growth and stability in the world’s modern and developing economies and how companies will prosper by investing over the coming decades in transportation growth and the infrastructure required to support this future demand. They will also address how new transportation initiatives will impact issues of climate change, traffic congestion, community health and security, and the "smart road forward" to integrate and balance environmental stewardship with the transportation needs of the public.

The tilt in energy demand to Asian markets and competition from unconventional hydrocarbon production represents shifts in the established global energy order. How producers in the MENA region adapt to these changes will be critical to their longterm economic health. The key concerns for energy producers in the MENA region, and how political, economic and market factors are reshaping the energy sector in the region and beyond will be explored along the following key issues:

• Which political scenarios need to be considered at a time of uncertainty for the US and Arab regions?
• What are the implications of unconventional oil and gas production for Gulf and US producers?
• How is the energy relationship between Asia and the US Gulf regions likely to develop?
• How able are Asian markets to defend their strategic interests in the Middle East and US?

Dr. John Duke Anthony,
Founding President & CEO,
National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations
Opening Remarks and Presentation of
C3-NCUSAR Lifetime Achievement Award
to Keynote Speaker

Gen. Wesley K. Clark (ret.),
Founder & CEO,
Wesley K. Clark & Associates, LLC

The Internet has proved a transformative force improving efficiency in communications, media, manufacturing, finance, logistics, transportation, energy, and marketing.

‎Today, the Internet is now recognized as providing as much peril as promise. ‎Individual criminal activities, ranging from identity theft to industrial espionage, have been facilitated. Terrorists have become adept at Internet and social-media-based recruiting. Sabotage of major economic sectors is possible, including destruction of key machinery or nodes. And day-to-day sparring between individuals, no state actors and governments is ongoing. Recents hacks at the Pentagon and the US Office of Personnel Management illustrate the seriousness of the challenge.

Cyber Security today is a challenge and cost driver for businesses, as well as governments. But it is also a huge profit opportunity for some leading-edge tech firms. ‎Teamwork between public and private-sector organization is mandatory. International cooperation is required. But, with the best of intentions and almost unlimited resources, "cyber" will be both promise and peril in the years ahead.

Note: Please see link for General Clark's Op-ed article published in USA Today:
"How To Defeat Russia's Syria Gambit"

Welcoming Remarks Introduction
Mr. Mohammad Adil "Mak" Khan-Qasmi,
President,
US Halal Association

Mr. Paul Doherty,
President & CEO,
the digit group,
Keynote Luncheon Address on behalf of:

Dr. Muhammad Munir Chaudry,
President,
The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America

A Smart City is not a marketing campaign, a sophisticated sales technique nor an intriguing political catch phrase. It is a series of solutions to a serious and urgent situation that the world faces today. Smart Cities are emerging as a civic action due to a “perfect storm” of the convergence of market conditions; technology innovation; social wants and government needs; and the migration to urban environments that has accelerated on a global scale that dwarfs any previous mass movement of people in history. Join us for an exploration of real world examples of sustainable smart cities in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and China that can provide you with frameworks for success that will include safety, security, education, sufficient food, quality medical care and an improved quality of life.

On a daily basis, global governments and owners and operators of privately owned critical infrastructure are confronted with threats from terrorists, rogue states, and hackers that are growing more targeted, more sophisticated, and more serious. Over the past year, we have all experienced the onslaught of headlines about major hacks and widespread information security threats worldwide. It has created alarming awareness, indeed, for the hundreds of millions of consumers who have seen their credit card numbers, email addresses, and other personal information exposed by online intruders. Globally, cybercrime costs exceed $445 billion each year, with the United States accounting for nearly one-quarter of that price tag, the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported in June. With the recent attack on the US federal employees, government leaders across the globe are highlighting increased security risks given the impact of cyber breaches on the US economy, as noted below:

• Financial Losses = 37.5%
• Intellectual Property Theft = 31.8%
• Corporate Reputation Compromised = 31.2%
• Fraud 15.8%
• Legal Exposure/Lawsuit = 12.2%
• Loss of Shareholder Value = 11.3%
• Global Extortion = 7.1%

The need for urban critical infrastructure development and maintenance will remain acute well into the middle of the century to accommodate the growing global population and migration waves. This panel will discuss ways in which governments and communities will benefit by developing the necessary knowledge and skill sets in the planning and design of integrated urban infrastructure systems required to support future sustainable growth while at the same time reducing the ecological footprint. The positive impact on economic development will also be addressed through the "networks" of man-made infrastructure systems that function collaboratively and synergistically to produce and distribute the essential goods and services modern societies require in transportation networks, building components, energy generation and distribution, water supply and waste treatment systems, and new information technologies.

Music by:
Joseph Mohan