Global E-commerce Conference with the United Nations

Global e-commerce Conference in the United Nations
by Alan Simpson president, www.comlinks.com

The United Nations, New York, was again the setting for another highly successful conference, organized by AIT Global, Inc. covering “Global e-commerce, and e-government.” Held under the chairmanship of Ambassador Bob F. Jalang’o of Kenya, the e-commerce conference brought together over 850 UN Ambassadors, Ministers and industry leaders from around the world.

The conference was originally planned for the end of last year, but the tragic events of September 11th caused its postponement. It was fitting that the two keynote speakers played such an important, and high profile role in the events, which caused that postponement.

The powerful conference drew attendees from 112 Nations and 19 US States. The audience included 93 UN Ambassadors, 25 Ministers or Minister Consuls, 41 Presidents, 24 Chief Corporate Officers (CEO, CITO, etc.), 70 Senior Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents, 88 Directors, 5 General Managers, 12 Engineers, 147 Managers, and 33 members of the press. Overall, the audience attested to the quality of the program and speakers – since well over one half of the total audience was comprised of senior decision makers at the National and Corporate Levels.

Leading private sector organizations that provided Educational Keynote and Panel Experts included ADT, IBM, Accenture, CASI-RUSCO, Compaq, Concord Communications, LexisNexis, Network Associates, VBrick, CIO, Computerworld, CP&M, Forbes, Infoworld, IntelBriefing.com, Security Magazine, Brown University, Dowling college, New York University, and Yale University. Presentations covered aspects of E-commerce and E-government, Cyber Security, Security, Disaster Management, and much more. Audience Members received a treat of pure education that helped them to envision potential scenarios – and solutions – similar to the everyday situations they all had to deal with.

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On the first day, Secret Service Agent, and Assistant Chief of the New York Cybercrime Task Force, Robert Weaver, gave his vivid account on the losses of 9/11. The huge amount of computer resources, irreplaceable documents destroyed in the fire, and collapse of the World Trade Center drove home the need for disaster planning.
On the second day the keynote was former New York Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik, who held the audience spellbound with his recollections of Ground Zero. At the associated Ambassadors Lunch, Kerik brought in a lighter note, explaining how he went to London to receive his knighthood, from Queen Elizabeth. This brought home the truly international nature of the disaster.
Somewhat overshadowed by the stories of 9/11, but clearly demonstrating the level of industry participation in the conference, publisher Steve Forbes, gave his view of E-commerce, and the way forward. Other industry and news media speakers added technical content, and took questions from the audience, during the panel sessions. It is this interaction, and ability to look at issues of developing technologies and developing nations that make these conferences so popular, and so well attended.
The conference, unique in the United Nations, shows what can be achieved in the diplomatic/industry partnership, designed to bring the best from industry, together with the Ambassadors, and representatives from over 100 countries around the world.