ANB AND ASLI TO HOST “FUTURE CITIES” GLOBAL CONFERENCE

KUALA LUMPUR – MON.

ANB Studios officially launched the Learning from Future Cities Global Conference to be held in Kuala Lumpur with the signing of a MOU between Dr Shafiq Abdullah, Chairman of Asia News Broadcasting (ANB) and Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah, Chairman of ASLI Foundation. The signing ceremony was witnessed by YAB Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and Y Bhg Tan Sri Datuk Kamaruzzaman Shariff, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur at the KL 21 convention today.

As part of the global program on Future Cities, ANB has begun work on organising the Learning from Future Cities Global Conference, a first in Malaysia and the region. In planning the global broadcast of the “Future Cities” program, the conference arm will represent an international roundtable and conference which will witness the participation of esteemed thinkers, leaders and progressive civil authorities such as the Eisenhower Foundation, MIT, the Wharton Business School and the International Advisory Council (IAC) comprising leading academics and experts from around the world.

“It is a tremendous recognition for Kuala Lumpur and the nation as a whole that Kuala Lumpur has been given the honour of hosting the conference in addition to being selected as one of the 13 Future Cities by the consortium of global leaders and civil authorities. We are delighted that the Deputy Prime Minister has shown us strong support on this important initiative”, said Dr Shafiq.

The conference in Kuala Lumpur seeks to deliberate and address issues in line with the efforts of the Proyecto Cities project which forms the basis for the creation of a Global Network of Excellence that encourages innovation and the exchange of ideas and experiences between cities.

“The challenges and expectations placed by globalisation and the networked world have left a large number of nations and societies precariously attempting to salvage and retain their social and cultural identities while moving ahead towards embracing development and liberalisation of their economies. Solutions might not come from constantly looking internally, the participation of global thinkers in one place, might provide case studies and suggestions for the participants, especially governments and relevant bodies“, said Dr Shafiq.

“We intend to work closely with ASLI to co-organise the conference based on their impeccable experience and track record of organising conferences of such magnitude. We strongly believe that together with ASLI, ANB will be able to host a highly impactful conference that addresses some of the mission critical issues faced by cities and nations in light of developments such as the WTO and the increased role of ICT in global business, “ added Dr Shafiq.

“The harsh reality is that almost 50 to 75 percent of the global population would be urbanised in the next 25 years underlines the importance of why nations and governments should begin to address some of these important questions in a global manner while actively tapping and leveraging on the expertise and knowledge of the various cities. For KL, this will enable a close benchmarking exercise which will include best practice from the MSC, Cyberjaya and Putrajaya,” said Dr Shafiq.

Dr Shafiq highlighted that the signing of the memorandum of understanding today is an important part of that process as it forms a critical portion of bringing together the various cities from around the globe into Kuala Lumpur for what is conceivably the largest meeting of cities from such a wide and diverse range of cultures and experiences.

ANB and ANB will be approaching global and regional leaders and thinkers from various fields and industries as part of a fact-finding initiative leading to the conference in November. The fact finding will include critical and realistic views on citizen-centric infrastructure, governance, society, economic growth, education, etc

The Learning from Cities Global Conference will be held in November 2001 and a global strategic meeting between all partners to outline the structure and issues will be held in Spain in May 2001. The Learning from Cities global conference is part of the bigger project that ANB has been awarded, namely the global film and television project which will take place under the auspices of the ‘Proyecto Cities’ in which 13 cities around the world (including Kuala Lumpur) have been identified. The programme which is to be produced by ANB, and led by a strong team headed by Haris Abdullah and Wan Zaleha Radzi, will be aired in more than 13 countries and in selected broadcasting stations in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia. ANB is an affiliate of Asia News Broadcasting with offices in Malaysia and the United States.

For inquiries contact:

Ms Izwina

ANB

L3-I-5, Level 3, Enterprise 4,
Technology Park Malaysia,
57000 Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur,
MALAYSIA

Tel: 603 - 8996 8340

Fax: 603 - 8996 6708

Url: www.anb.com.my

E-Mail: mail@anb.com.my