The World Insurance Forum said its March meeting will feature as a keynote speaker Sheika Lubna Al-Qasimi, the United Arab Emirates economy minister.

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

Ms. Al Qasimi, the wife of a sheik, is a member of the Sharjah royal family and chief executive officer of the Tejari information technology company, the Forum said.

It added that Tejari was the first Middle Eastern business-to-business marketplace, and as a result of its operation 70 percent of Dubai's government purchases are made online.

The Forum said the March meeting will be a unique gathering “as Western companies will meet with the Middle and Far Eastern insurance and reinsurance companies in these emerging markets along with the scientific and academia experts, in many cases, for the first time.”

Other key speakers scheduled include:

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

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

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

Dr. Martin is due to speak on the positioning of human history which he states is at an extraordinary crossroads, as action or inaction during the next 20 years will determine the fate of the Earth 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 managing partner, 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 Asia Pacific and Nambi Rangachary, former chairman, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.

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

o A Views from the West panel lists: Henry Keeling, XL Capital Ltd. 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 Re chairman.

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

Forum said the three major issues to be woven throughout nine sessions 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 International Financial Centre; Renaissance Re; XL Capital Ltd.; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Axis Capital Holdings Ltd. and International General Insurance Company Ltd.

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