Dubai Customs has announced its support to Arabian Coast 2005, the first international conference on coastal zone management and engineering in the Middle East, by being one of the key sponsors for the event. Arabian Coast 2005 will be held from November 27-29 at Al Habtoor Grand, Jumeriah Beach, Dubai, under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality.
The Arabian Coast 2005 conference, hosted by Dubai Municipality, brings together leading experts, scientists, environmentalists and engineers from around the world to discuss the latest achievements and developments taking place in the area of conservation of the regional coastal zone. The event will be a platform for discussion on coastal environmental impact problems and remedial solutions, including case studies of relevance to the region.
“Across the world, coastal regions have been the center of economic activity due to the added advantages available here to the industrial and business sector. The concentration of population in the coastal zones has created an increased need for us to protect these areas against environmental hazards and depletion of natural resources,” said Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Director General, Dubai Customs.
“We need to realise that although economic prosperity and growth are of immense importance to the Arabian coast, this should not be at the cost of environmental exploitation and degradation. The Governments in the region and the corporate sector as a whole have been very responsible in this regard and have taken several measures to ensure the protection of coastal resources,” added Ahmed.
Dubai Customs has been actively involved to ensure the smooth flow of sea trade related activities in the region, as it is one of the oldest government departments in the UAE, formed over 100 years ago. Dubai Customs is the nerve center for sea trade in Dubai and is responsible for the efficient management and safety of the coastline. It is also equally concerned about the protection of Dubai Creek, as it plays a key role in Dubai’s re-export trade.
The Arabian Coast conference will include keynote speeches by 12 international experts in the field of coasts management from Australia, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Scotland, USA, Spain, South Africa, Italy and the UK, in addition to experts from the Gulf region.
The main topics that that will be discussed at the conference include, the long-term impact of the hazardous oil spill from the Gulf War twelve years ago on coastal and marine resources; coastal monitoring programmes for Gulf waters; and Tsunami hazards and mitigation along the Gulf and Arabian Sea coasts. Around 20 papers are related to the UAE coasts, while 28 papers concern the Gulf and Middle East regions including nine from Kuwait, five from the Sultanate of Oman, eight from Iran and four from Egypt. Others papers are from India, USA, Italy, UK, Jordan, Nigeria, Turkey, Japan, Greece, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, New Zealand, Denmark, South Africa, Australia and Tunisia. A technical trade exhibition will also be held along side the main conference, which will also include a site visit to coastal zone projects of interest in the region.
“This conference will mark a new beginning in the region’s efforts to ensure economic and environmental sustainability for the coastal zone of the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf,” concluded Ahmed.
