Arab World Conference 2013

The Harvard Arab Alumni Association (“HAAA”) is delighted to invite you to attend our 8th annual Arab World Conference, which will be held in Tunis, Tunisia on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at the Residence Hotel. Our visiting alumni are also invited to a fascinating sightseeing tour on Friday, March 22, 2013.  This conference is open to all Harvard and Non-Harvard affiliates.

The Arab World Conference

Each year, HAAA hosts two world-class conferences: the Harvard Arab Weekend (HAW) on the Harvard campus, now the largest Arab conference in North America, and the Arab World Conference (AWC) at a different Arab city each year.

These conferences bring together hundreds of Harvard alumni, faculty, and societal leaders to discuss key issues related to the region and serve to heighten awareness of issues facing the Arab world and increase dialogue around important topics facing the Arab world.  Previous Keynote Speakers at our conferences have included Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal; Dr. Mohammad El-Erian; HE Zaid Al-Rifai; Mr. Said Darwazah; Mrs. Tawakkol Karman; HE Dr. Mahmoud Jibril; Dr. Drew G. Faust; and  Mr. Carlos Ghosn.  Our conferences are open to the public, and the majority of our prior attendees were not Harvard alumni. The conference is expected to be attended by over 250 leading professionals from the Middle East, Europe and the US.

Theme

This year’s conference – entitled The Arab World:  From Revolution to Transformation – seeks to move the debate beyond the Arab Spring to focus on transforming Arab societies in its aftermath and to challenge Harvard alumni and Arab and global leaders to present workable visions for the future, covering trends in political transformation, economics and business, law, media and education— and to assess the implications thereof on the region’s future. 

This year’s program features several exciting components:

*  Conference (8am-6pm): Join us for a day of thought-provoking panels and addresses by many of the region’s most inspiring leaders where participants and panelists will debate critical topics.

· The conference will commence with a Davos-style conversation with Mustapha Ben Jaafar, President of the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia 
· Leading British-Sudanese businessman and philanthropist, Mo Ibrahim, will thereafter deliver the Business Keynote Address.
· Thereafter, we will have a specialized political plenary session that will focus on the paradox of politics and pluralism in the post Arab Spring era. In the afternoon, attendees will be able to choose from among four panels that will address such varied and diverse topics such as the rule of law, media, business and political economy, and education.

*  Seminar on Harvard admissions (6pm-7pm): Presentation on education experience and application process for Tunisian high school students and graduate students

*  Gala Dinner (8:00-11:00): Join us for dinner and dancing at the picturesque Dar Zarrrouk Restaurant  http://www.darzarrouk.com/  for an evening highlighting the culinary, architectural, and musical splendors of Tunisia. During dinner, we will present the HAAA Lifetime Achievement Award 

Registration for the conference is open to the public and is not limited to alumni of Harvard.  REGISTER NOW 

HAAA has secured a limited number of rooms at a highly discounted rate at the beautiful Residence Hotel, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World (http://www.theresidence.com/tunis/default-en.html ). To get this special rate, please contact Mr. Kamel Touhami by email at visittn@gnet.tn to reserve your room. You will need to mention that you are a delegate with the HAAA Arab World Conference.

We look forward to welcoming you to Tunis!

Please send an email to the HAAA Program Director, Sena Halabi (Sena@harvardarabalumni.org) if you have any questions about the upcoming event.