Dubai to host global conference on the Future of Borders
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, Dubai will host an international conference on the Future of Borders from 11th to 12th March 2015 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Dubai International Financial Centre.
The second edition of the conference, through five sessions spanned over two days, will provide valuable insights into the future travel trends, the enlarged responsibilities of border control authorities and the challenges they face in handling the huge increase in passengers numbers in the coming years.
The aim of the conference is to come up with the best formula to achieve a balance between the need to strengthen the security in the face of growing threats and risks and accelerate travel facilitation while maintaining high quality services provided to travellers.
His Excellency Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, General Director of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA-Dubai) which is hosting the conference, said: The conference will pave the way for all stakeholders to develop not only borders industry, but also the travel and tourism industries and keep the momentum of cooperation and collaboration among all the stakeholders to implement the growth and expansion plans smoothly in line with the changing times.
Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director General, GDRFA-Dubai, said: The conference provides an ideal platform to present UAEs successful borders management experiment and its expertise in harnessing the latest technologies, smart gates, smart travel solutions and biometric devices to accelerate and facilitate travel.
The conferences agenda is focused on sharing information, knowledge and best practices in managing borders control, the role of advanced technology and travel smart solutions and the importance of intensifying international cooperation among all the stakeholders in borders, travel and tourism domains.
Over 24 globally-renowned experts from 12 countries and international organizations will take part in the conference. The speakers include Major General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, GDRFA-Dubai Deputy Director General, Thani Alzaffin, Director General and Board Member, emaratech, Lieutenant-General Dr. Hans Leijtens, General Director Royal Marechaussee, the Netherlands, Eric Chan Kwok- Ki, Director of Immigration, Hong Kong, Angela Gittens, Director General, Airports Council International, and Gil Arias, Executive Director, FRONTEX, the European agency for Borders Control coordination.
emaratech is the exclusive host sponsor of the conference.
Nadd Al Shiba PR & Event Management is the official PR agency and content producer for the conference.
The first session will debate about the future and government vision and the second session will deal with the future of border management. The third session will shed light on the future of aviation industry, while the fourth one will highlight the future of airports. The fifth and the final session will reflect on the future of smart solutions.
Speakers will provide insights into number important issues including ID thefts, forged documents and the role of smart gates, e-Passports and biometric devices in enhancing the security and accelerating the travel facilitation.
The conference provides an ideal platform for participants to gain insights into the emerging threats, challenges and risks facing the borders industry and share and benefit from best practices in managing the borders effectively through the optimized use of available resources and capabilities.
More than 500 delegates are expected to attend the conference, including a large number of Interior ministers, heads of border control authorities, airlines CEOs, airports operators and representatives of international organizations such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Airports Council International (ACI).
Tasked with regulating the entry and exit of travelers to the United Arab Emirates through land, sea and air routes of the Emirate of Dubai, GDRFA-Dubai immensely contributes to achieving UAEs Ministry of Interiors vision of making the UAE one of the safest and most secure countries in the world.
GDRFA-Dubai has remained in the forefront of Smart Government initiative and introduced a slew of technology-driven initiatives designed for smooth and seamless facilitation of travelers at airports, sea ports and land crossings. It has to its credit several unique projects like M-visa, smart gates and online services for individuals and corporate entities. It is presently working on implementing the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) in Dubai.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates, the number of air passengers globally will rise to more than four billion by 2017. The Arabian Gulf airports alone will receive about 450 million passengers by 2020. The number of passengers through Dubai airport will rise to 70 million in 2014 and to more than 100 million by 2020. Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai World Central (DWC) is projected to handle over 200 million people annually next decade. DCAA forecasts aircraft movements for both airports, Dubai International and Al Maktoum International, rising to 665,000 in 2020, bringing in millions of passengers annually. By 2020, as Dubai expects to welcome over 20 million tourists for Expo 2020, it is estimated that Emirates Airlines will fly 70 million passengers, Oxford Economics said. It said overall, Dubai had direct passenger flight connections to 149 cities with populations of over one million people, creating potential export markets of over 916 million people, or 13 per cent of the worlds population.
