More than 300 Arab and foreign delegates will take part in an international conference on urban development, to be held in the Emirati city of Dubai on October 20, reported the Abu Dhabi-based Khaleej Times newspaper.
Delegates at the four-day event will explore how the new technologies of information and communication (NTIC) can be used in boosting economic function of cities, delivery of urban public services.
The Inta 25 Congress, titled "New Dimensions of Urban Development: NTIC for Local Management," is organized jointly by Dubai Municipality and the International Network for Urban Development (Inta) in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing and the Saudi-based Arab Urban Development Institute, said the paper.
Exchange of knowledge and experience in the conference would be centered on key policy areas such as communication technology and economic activity; retail and trade; e. commerce; trading knowledge as assets for urban development; urban development and public e-management; new hub functions as condition for successful urban development; NTIC and Urban Marketing; Are NTIC enough to guarantee good governance?; and e-governance: the questions still to solve.
The congress is based on interaction between delegates through plenary and workshop sessions to allow maximum sharing of experience, exposure and debate.
The main sponsor of the conference is the National Bank of Dubai.
An Inta delegation comprising Michel Sudariskis, Secretary-General of the International Network for Urban Development (Inta), and Irene Mitchell, Head of the Secretariat Inta, visited Dubai on September 21 to review the ongoing preparations for the conference.
Incorporated in Paris in 1974 as a non-profit organization, Inta has been granted Category 2 status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and has Consultative Status by the Council of Europe.
Inta's missions are to act as an international forum and network for the collection, exchange and sharing of information and ideas on best practice in the development and growth of urban areas, to contribute to the world debate on urban development – Albawaba.com
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