Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to speak at Abu Dhabi forum

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been announced as one of the keynote speakers for the Global Financial Markets Forum in Abu Dhabi next month.

Held at Emirates Palace between March 2-3, the annual conference will debate major regional and international issues from the perspectives of regulators, asset managers, sovereign wealth funds, bankers and politicians.

Topics covered will include energy, renewables, sovereign wealth funds, China’s economic outlook, the impact of European debt crises and challenges in the region.

Additional issues will include the aviation industry, the changing financial regulatory environment and Abu Dhabi’s plans for development.

Blair, who served as prime minister between 1997 and 2007, was criticised for involving British troops in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in support of the United States’ foreign policy.

He now works on issues of radicalisation at his Tony Blair Faith Foundation.

Blair will be joined by Sheikh Nahayan bin Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and managing director of the Dubai Expo 2020 Higher Committee.

Also listed to speak is Dr Mohamed El-Erian, chairman of President Obama’s Global Development Council and chief economic advisor at Allianz, and Yanis Varoufakis, former Greece Finance Minister.

In the eight years since its inception, the event’s speakers have also included Dr Ben Bernanke, Colin Powell, Dr Larry Summers, James Baker, Nicholas Sarkozy, David Miliband, Jean-Claude Trichet, Niall Ferguson and Paul Volcker.