The Final EUMEDIS International Conference
The conference is taking place under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt.
The Final EUMEDIS International Conference has been convened on 11 - 12 June, 2006 at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt).
The main objectives of the Conference are:
  • To exchange the experiences and discuss the achieved results.
  • To promote the dissemination of pilot projects' outputs towards authorities and investors and to increase the visibility of the projects in the region.
  • To create a consolidated and accessible memory of best practices and achievements.
  • To make proposals for future IS programs in the region.
The conference agenda will allow all EUMEDIS stakeholders to work closely together.  A group of ICT experts as well as local and international policy makers, private enterprises, and NGOs will be present to support and guide the conference activities.
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina has been selected to host this big event. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a place of learning, dialogue, and tolerance.  This vast complex of culture and scientific excellence includes libraries, museums, planetarium, exhibitions, art galleries, research institutes, and a conference centre, where the Final EUMEDIS International Conference will take place.  Please explore the website of the Bibliotheca on www.bibalex.org
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) was formed to facilitate Egypt's transition into the global Information Society in October 1999.
MCIT's mandate is to support the creation of Information Society in Egypt in close cooperation, with government entities, civil society, and the private sector.
MCIT's objectives are to:
  • Secure world-class Communications and IT services to Egyptian businesses and consumers
  • Enhance the economic and developmental role of the ICT sector
  • Encourage new investments in the ICT sector
  • Cultivate innovation and incubation of entrepreneurship
  • Develop Egyptian exports of ICT products and services
  • Maximize the contribution of ICT sector to national Budget
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TALAL ABU-GHAZALEH (Key Note Speaker)
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh is the founder and Chairman of the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization, the largest Arab group of professional service firms in the fields of accounting, management consulting, training, intellectual property, legal services, information technology, and translation.
He is a graduate of the American University of Beirut and received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Canisius College, USA.
Among his current international board chairmanship, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh chairs the ICC's Commission on E-Business Information Technologies and Telecoms (EBITT), Evian Group Arab Region Board of Directors, the ICC Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) and Perspective Europe Board of Trustees.  His current board memberships also include, among others, the UN Global Compact Board of Directors and World Links Worldwide Advisory Board. As for previously held international positions, he acted as the Vice Chair of the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UN ICT TF).  He also chaired the Working Group on Human Resources and Capacity Building (HRCB) of the UN ICT TF, the U.N. Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on ISAR, the U.N. Committee of Experts on Global Accounting Standards, the Steering Committee for Newly Industrialized and Developing Countries' Affairs of the IASC, and was the first Arab professional to become a member of its board and that of the International Auditing Practice Committee of the IFAC.
Moreover, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh is the founder and President of three not for profit organizations namely; the Arab Society of Certified Accountants (ASCA), the Arab Knowledge Management Society (AKMS), the Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP), and the Licensing Executives Society - Arab Countries (LES-AC).  He has also received a number of decorations such as Presidency Shield (Lebanon), Al Basil Shield (Syria), Knight of the Legion d'Honneur (France), Decorations of Independence (Jordan), and Decoration of the Republic (Tunisia).
Under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt
10 – 12 June 2006 - Rapport
Time
Saturday 10 June
Afternoon
Arrivals check in
Preparation of the Exhibition
Partners meeting
20:30
Welcome Cocktail and introduction to Egyptian Cultural Heritage
 
Time
Sunday 11 June
9:30 - 13:30
MORNING
Opening session
9:30 - 9:45
Introductory speech
by H.E. Dr. Klaus Ebermann, Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Egypt
9:45 - 10:15
Key Note Address
by H.E. Egypt Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Tarek Kamel
10:00 - 10:30
The EC policy for the development of ICT
Mr. Ulf Dahlsten, European Commission, Director "Emerging Technologies and infrastructures" DG INFSO
10:30 - 11:00
Presentation
“The global trends in the region, the partnership EU-MEDA, IST tools role in present situation and future scenarios: A vision for a re-composed Mediterranean region: sharing problems and long term solutions”
Dr. Ismail Serageldin
Director Bibliotheca Alexandrina (T.B.C.)
11:00 - 11:30
Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:30
Press Conference and TV interviews
11:30 - 11:50
"Closing the digital gap: Dream or Reality? Needs and Options”

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, “the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization", member of the UN ICT task force.
11:50 - 13:00
PRESENTATION OF EUMEDIS ACHIEVEMENTS AND SUCCESS STORIES

“EUMEDIS program overall experience”
Dr. Ilias Gkanoutas, EUMEDIS Final Evaluation Team Leader

“EUMEDIS success stories”:
EMPHIS, Dr. Henry Dubois and Sadok Chlif
STRABON, Mr. Jean Luc Lory and A.Touri
EMEDTEXNET, Mr. Guy Lavenant and Eman Goweily
MEDNET’U, Prof. Maria Amata Garito and Abderrahim Brakez

Time for discussion
13:00 14:00
Standing lunch and visit to the exhibition
‘Meeting’ facility open
14:00 - 17:00
Afternoon
4 Parallel Workshops

Workshop 1
“ICT promoting intercultural dialogue, cultural heritage and sustainable tourism”
- Towards new comprehension and cooperation twinning tourism and culture: ICT tools as a new asset for the Mediterranean offer
- Intercultural Dialogue: can ICT tools provide new sources for dialogue and comprehension in the region?
- Why ICT help to promote the respect for the cultural heritage?

Moderator
F.Badioli (MDP Team Leader, Brussels)

Guest Speakers
Enrique Banús, Universidad de Navarra, Spain
Nedret Kuran-Burkoglu, University of Istanbul, Turkey
Dr. Fatih Saleh, Director of CULTNAT, Egypt
Dov Winer, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Workshop 2
“Transfer of know how and creation of new skills: is the use of ICT tools the most efficient solution?”
- Distance Learning and new goals for education in the Mediterranean Region
- Are there common benchmarks that should be used to assess efficiency / effectiveness?
- The EUMEDIS experience in offering new services for final users / clients
- Sharing and learning with partners from MEDA region and EU for quality education and reforms.
- ICT tools to increase employability and foster innovation.

Moderator
Dr. Gian Paolo Bonani (MDP Team, Education Expert))

Guest Speakers
Hans-Peter Gebhardt, European Commission, DG INFSO
Dr. Georgi Graschew, Charite Hospital, Germany
Prof. Maria Amata Garito, Rome University, Italy
Dr. Yasser Kazem, Director of E-Learning Competence Center
Ulrike Damyanovic, European Training Foundation, Turin
Andre Loechel, Villes Numeriques, France

Workshop 3
“Intellectual property rights and ICT Tools: opportunities and threats / Constraints and solutions”
- Will Intellectual property rights protect or hinder IT tools development?
- Does IT environment mean an enlarged space for the IPR’s?
- Is there the risk that some potentially useful developments are hindered by excessive defense of IPR’s?
- How does IPR’s feel / work in an open sources / free software environments as the ones promoted by EC?
- Practical solutions to the issues of intellectual property rights to improve projects’ outputs exploitation

Moderator
Daniel Malbert, French Ministry of Culture/ UNESCO

Guest Speakers
Dr. Sherif Hashem, Executive Vice President, Information Technology Industry Development Agency, Egypt
Mr. Phillipe Chevet Maison Science de l’Homme, France
Mr. Michel Gyory, University of Liege (Belgium)

Workshop 4
“Partnership with Private Investors: opportunities for EUMEDIS partners”
- New applications tested ready for the market
- Increasing local Competitiveness: ICT and the global market
- Use of ICT tools to access new markets
- Some case stories from the Mediterranean region
- Promotion of SME creation, innovation and quality management
ModeratorMrs. Annegrete Lausten (MDP)

Guest Speakers
Mr. Thies Wittig, IT-Consult, Bremen (Germany)
Prof. Luigi Troiani, CONFCOMMERCIO, Rome (Italy)
Mr. Guy Lavenant, Chambre de Commerce, Paris (France)
Prof. Giuseppe TRITTO, (UNESCO NGO), Paris (France)
17:30 - 19:30
Meeting facility open - visit to exhibition
Evening
Gala Dinner
 
Time
Monday 12 June
9:30 - 12.30
MORNING
Plenary session
9:30 - 10:30
“Civil society & New Technologies: ICT applications improving everyday life / participation / ownership”
Civil society participation in the era of internet: Increased ownership or wider marginalization?
ICT tools as instruments for social and economic growth.
- Dr. Mohab Hallouda, Executive Manager, ICT Trust Fund, Egypt
“Economic growth and social development: an increasing role for the ICT tools and operators in the region”
- Laura Garcia Vitoria, Melle Karima Hachadi, paper by Dr. Laura Garcia Vitoria, Director of the European Network of Digital Cities, Paris, France

“The post EUMEDIS MEDA environment in ICT. New actors, new environments”
Future opportunities for ICT projects within the EU´s new Research Framework Program (FP7)
- Mr. Klaus Pendl, European Commission, DG INFSO

“The regulatory challenge and Media Convergence in the future development of ICT”
- Dr. Olfat Abd El Monsef, Vice President – Policies & International Cooperation, National Telecom Regulatory Authority
 
10:30 - 11:30
Plenary session.
Presentation from workshops
Presentation of the conclusions from each of the workshops
Time for discussion
11:30 - 12:00
Coffee Break
12.00 - 12.30
Conference conclusions
Conclusions on the future developments with special reference to the European Neighborhood Policy
F. Badioli (MDP)
Representative from the EC Delegation in Egypt
12:30 - 14:00
Buffet LunchServed at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Terrace
Afternoon
Meetings between EUMEDIS Pilot Projects Partners
Departures of Egyptian guests
 
 
 
 

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