Planning Commission chief Ahluwalia to address inaugural Bahrain Global Forum

Mumbai, May 7 (ANI-Business Wire India):The Deputy Chairman of the Indian Planning Commission, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, will be the keynote speaker at the IISS Bahrain Global Forum.

A new annual event, the IISS Bahrain Global Forum will bring together government ministers and officials, business leaders and economists from advanced and emerging countries to discuss the changing balance of global economic power and the international impact of this shift as the world looks to return to growth.

Organized and hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Bahrain Global Forum will take place from 14 to 16 May 2010 at the Ritz-Carlton, Hotel and Spa, in Manama, Bahrain.

Rising markets will in time share greater responsibility for the economic order as it further develops and will need to be creative in helping to conceive and shape the way forward. The IISS Bahrain Global Forum will provide a platform for these emerging market views to engage with the ideas of already established economic powers.

Jordanian Prime Minister Samir Rifai will address the topic of 'Attracting Investment After the Financial Crisis'.

Other key speakers include:

Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on 'The G20 Process and Others: Ensuring Strong Global Economic Governance';

Carl Bildt, Foreign Minister of Sweden, on 'Investing for Peace: Stability in Post-Conflict Economies'; and, Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar, on 'Harnessing Energy Resources for Economic Prosperity and Security'.

Stephen Fidler, Brussels Editor of the Wall Street Journal and IISS Consulting Senior Fellow, will illustrate one of many issues to be discussed during the conference: 'Greece's debt problems show the global financial crisis is not over, but is entering a new phase. Governments in the west responded to the financial crisis by letting their budget deficits expand rapidly. Now the consequences are being felt as worries grow that government debt burdens are growing unsustainably. Financial markets are signalling that Greece will not be the last country to face severe financial austerity to stave off debt problems.'

Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), welcoming the event said: 'The global financial crisis has accelerated the shift in economic influence from west to east. One outcome of this shift will be a greater role for developing countries in the management of the world economic system; no longer will they be just beneficiaries of economic growth. The IISS Bahrain Global Forum provides an ideal platform for business leaders and policy makers from across the world to discuss the global economic shift and how this can be managed for the benefit of all. Bahrain, which sits at the strategic heart of the Gulf, a crossroads between east and west as well a region of growing economic influence, is an appropriate venue for such a forum and look forward to the debate with interest.'

The IISS Bahrain Global Forum was brought to the Kingdom on the initiative of Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, following the success of the IISS Regional Security Summit: The Manama Dialogue, an annual event to be next held 3-5 December 2010. (ANI)