The World Insurance Forum said its March meeting will feature asa keynote speaker Sheika Lubna Al-Qasimi, the United Arab Emirateseconomy minister.

The Bermuda-based Forum said Sheika Al Qasimi, the first womanin the United Arab Emirates (UAE) history to assume a cabinetposition is due to present at its March 17-20 meeting in the DubaiInternational Financial Centre.

Ms. Al Qasimi, the wife of a sheik, is a member of the Sharjahroyal family and chief executive officer of the Tejari informationtechnology company, the Forum said.

It added that Tejari was the first Middle Easternbusiness-to-business marketplace, and as a result of its operation70 percent of Dubai's government purchases are made online.

The Forum said the March meeting will be a unique gathering “asWestern companies will meet with the Middle and Far Easterninsurance and reinsurance companies in these emerging markets alongwith the scientific and academia experts, in many cases, for thefirst time.”

Other key speakers scheduled include:

o Michael Moore, director of the Institute for InternationalEconomics at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

o James Martin, The James Martin Institute for Science andCivilization at Oxford, U.K.

Dr. Moore said in a statement that “UAE-U.S. efforts todiversify its economy in recent years have led to the fastestgrowing economic partnerships developing business opportunities forU.S. companies, especially in the service industry.

Dr. Martin is due to speak on the positioning of human historywhich he states is at an extraordinary crossroads, as action orinaction during the next 20 years will determine the fate of theEarth and human civilization for centuries to come.

The Forum described him as Britain's leading “futurologist.”

Other action at the Forum will include:

o A Views from the East panel with Quentin Loh, deputy managingpartner, Rajah & Tann as moderator; Datuk Aminuddin Md. Desa,chief financial officer/executive director, Malayan Banking Berhad;Wang Xianzhang, former chairman, China Life Insurance (Group)Company; Scott Ryrie, CEO, Allianz SE Reinsurance, Branch AsiaPacific and Nambi Rangachary, former chairman, Insurance Regulatoryand Development Authority of India.

The panel is slated to discuss the regional businessopportunities in the Asian and Far Eastern markets.

o A Views from the West panel lists: Henry Keeling, XL CapitalLtd. chief operating officer; Neill Currie, CEO, Renaissance Re;Stephen Catlin, Catlin Group Limited CEO and deputy chairman;Grahame Chilton, CEO, Benfield Group and Mark Byrne, Flagstone Rechairman.

They are due to outline the best practices in building andgrowing successful insurance and reinsurance businesses.

Forum said the three major issues to be woven throughout ninesessions will be:

o The advantages and risks of globalization.

o Understanding terrorism in today's world

o Man's Impact on the Global Environment

Among the sponsors of the meeting are: Dubai InternationalFinancial Centre; Renaissance Re; XL Capital Ltd.;PricewaterhouseCoopers; Axis Capital Holdings Ltd. andInternational General Insurance Company Ltd.

More information is online at www.worldinsuranceforum.com andfurther details are available from Suzie Pewter, Event ManagerWorldInsurance Forum,61 Front St.P.O. Box HM 2550,Hamilton HM KX,Bermuda