Forward Thinking attend the Future Investment Initiative, Riyadh 24th - 27th October 2017

The Director of Forward Thinking attended the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh between the 24th - 27th of October 2017.The FII is a conference, organised by the Kingdom's Sovereign Wealth Fund, that aims to highlight Saudi Arabia's recent reforms as part of the new Vision 2030 strategy and the economic opportunities that are emerging as a result.  The event is being attended by business leaders, representatives of the international community and top Saudi officials.Vision 2030 represents the long-term strategy of the government of Saudi Arabia to diversify the economy away from a reliance on oil and into new areas. Saudi Arabia faces a number of economic challenges in the coming years - including reducing unemployment amongst the country's growing, and youthful population - whilst managing the new reality of the greatly reduced oil price, adding urgency to the diversification process. Efforts are focused on the role new technologies, including AI, can play in driving economic growth.While in Saudi Arabia, Oliver will also meet with government officials, including the Assistant Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, the Director General for Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and number of figures are the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic to discuss the issues confronting the region and the work of the Helsinki Policy Forum.