The 2003 Annual Meetings Program of Seminars will take place Saturday, September 20 - Monday, September 22, 2003 at the Dubai International Convention Center (DICC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The 2003 Annual Meetings Program of Seminars is a dynamic forum in which business and government leaders, World Bank and International Monetary Fund officials and other experts will discuss the challenges and opportunities in emerging economies worldwide.

This year's program is designed to focus on visions for new directions, challenges, and policy prescriptions. The program is organized around the theme of The Road to Regional and Global Prosperity - Challenges and Opportunities. Topics this year include Employment Creation and Demographics, Gender and Development, Trade, Water Resources, Institutional Development and Reform, Globalization and The Millennium Development Goals, and a series of regional seminars.

All Seminars will be held at the Dubai International Convention Centre (DICC), Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Updated Program of Seminars Guides will be available at the distribution area and the Registration Desk at the DICC.

All seminars are on-the-record and open to journalists registered to attend the Annual Meetings. Press will be admitted to Seminars (space permitting in the press section) upon presentation of their Annual Meetings identification badge, except to Keynote Addresses, which will require vouchers for entry. A limited number of print and broadcast vouchers will be handed out on a first-come first-serve basis at the DICC Press Information area at 8:30 a.m. for keynote sessions to be held on those same days.

In each seminar room, a section of seats will be reserved for members of the print media. Seats will be allocated on a first-come first-serve basis. Additional press may be seated at the back of the room as space permits.

A photo opportunity will be held during the first three minutes of each seminar. After that, no photographers will be permitted to take pictures until the seminar ends.

Broadcast journalists will have access to live video (PAL format) and/or audio feed of those seminars/keynotes that will be recorded and relayed by the Program of Seminars crew. The video and audio feed will be available in the Press Center via multi box (with BNC video and XLR audio connection hook-up) from which journalists may utilize their own recording decks. Audio mult-boxes will also be available in each Seminar room so that camera crews can access audio directly.

The Program of Seminars will be videotaping each session for web casting later the same day.

The Seminars are principally intended to encourage discussion between the panelists and private sector and country delegation participants. Time permitting, the moderator may take questions from the press during the seminar. A World Bank or IMF press officer will be available at each seminar. If there are requests for follow-up individual interviews with panelists, the press officer can help arrange these during the break following each seminar.

Any prepared remarks submitted by discussion leaders will be available for distribution at the seminars and in the Annual Meetings Press Center. In some cases, relevant background documentation prepared by the featured countries, the World Bank Group, IMF and other organizations will be made available.

For general inquiries about the Program of Seminars please contact:

2003 Annual Meetings
Program of Seminars
World Bank Group - IMF
Washington, DC 20431
USA
Telephone: 1-202-473-3394
Facsimile: 1-202-623-4100

More information on the 2003 Fund-Bank Annual Meetings and Program of Seminars that are updated regularly can be found on the Internet at www.worldbank.org/pos.

Inquiries about the above media guidelines, or requests for interviews with Program of Seminars participants, should be directed to Nazanine Atabaki (202) 458-1450.