CAMBRIDGE: The second edition of the Gulf Creatives Conference took place at Harvard University at the weekend, despite pro-Palestine protests on the campus.
“Amid the rising tensions on US college campuses, we believe firmly in the power of creativity and the arts in healing wounds and bridging divides,” Abdulla Almarzooqi, chairperson of the organization’s UAE Committee and a graduate student at Harvard, told Arab News in an interview.
The event attracted over 1,000 attendees and more than 170 speakers, among whom was Gulf Co-operation Council Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi. He took to the stage to address Gulf students and outline the region’s vision to lessen reliance on oil revenues by embracing diverse sectoral reforms.
“The strategic location, coupled with robust infrastructure, paves the way for the council member states to attract international partnerships that support their long-term development goals,” Al-Budaiwi said.
He added: “This dynamic approach is vital for sustaining economic growth and ensuring the resilience of Gulf economies in the face of global economic fluctuations and regional challenges.”
He also praised students for hosting such an event at one of the world’s most prestigious universities.
The conference included 24 discussion sessions and five workshops covering topics such as public policy, innovation strategies, and the future of healthcare.
Among the main speakers on healthcare was Dr. Majid Ibrahim Al-Fayyadh, CEO of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, who spoke of the emergence of a leading healthcare sector in the region after a decades-long transformation plan.
“The Saudi leadership has a clear vision for KFSH&RC, which was crowned by royal order to transform it into an independent institution of a private, nonprofit nature,” he said.
The transformation includes enhancing existing services and exploring new medical trends to improve health and well-being, he added.
Other panelists included Maryam Bin Theneya, second deputy speaker at the Federal National Council of the UAE, Bader Al-Attar of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, and Saudi Media Company’s Khalid Al-Khudair.
