More than 1,000 business, government, civil society and media leaders from 62 countries will convene at the 2010 World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa in Marrakech.

The forum, which is meeting under the theme “Purpose, Resilience and Prosperity” is opening tomorrow (October 26) and will run until October 28.

The meeting was preceded by an Education Summit where over 100 participants met and worked under the topic "The Future of Education: Incentives, Impact and Accountability".

“The meeting comes at a crucial time for the region and is an opportunity to renew the region’s growth and development strategies in the context of pressing global risks, including oil price volatility, water scarcity and migration,” said André Schneider, managing director and chief operating officer of the World Economic Forum.

“The Forum believes that only by bringing together decision-makers representing all sectors of society – business, politics, civil society, culture, media and academia – can sustainable solutions to the current challenges be found.”

Sherif El Diwany, senior director and head of Middle East and North Africa of the World Economic Forum, added: "More than 1,000 participants will come to Marrakech to shape the region's agenda along three tracks: risk, sustainability and new business geographies.”

“In the area of risk, the Forum feels that the region's business leaders have reached a high degree of understanding of the complexity of global risks today. This region was to a large degree spared during the recent crisis. It is time to think together how we can be more prepared and resilient in case we have to deal with another global crisis of a different nature and reach,” El Diwany concluded. – TradeArabia News Service