HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam last night left for London, United Kingdom to attend the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) to be held from Oct 29 to 31, 2013.

Before leaving the Istana Nurul Iman, a Doa Selamat was read by Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia (Dr) Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz bin Juned, the State Mufti.

Present at His Majesty the Sultan’s Flight hangar to bid farewell to His Majesty were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik as well as other members of the royal family.

Also present at the hangar were Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Cheterias, the Speaker of the Legislative Council, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Councils, Deputy Ministers, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Acting Commissioner of Police as well as the British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam.

WIEF, which is held for the first time outside Muslim countries, would set a new direction as interest is high among the non-Muslim community to venture into new business opportunities with their Muslim counterparts, the WIEF website stated.

More than 1,800 participants comprising chief executive officers, academic scholars, regional experts, policymakers as well as business leaders from more than 120 countries have confirmed their attendance.

The forum bears the theme “Changing World, New Relationships” to encapsulate the emergence of new economic linkages between nations across borders, religions and cultures in a fast changing world where new relationships have emerged out of the various crises besetting the global economy. Old economic models have failed to describe how the world works and underestimated the human propensity to collaborate rather than compete to survive in this ever turbulent 21st century.

A search for a new framework has already begun. Like never before, partnerships are sprouting across borders, religions and cultures, all in the name of peace and prosperity between nations. Of those partnerships, the most crucial of all is in business and trade, which is bound to shape relations between nations and economies in the near future.

The World Islamic Economic Forum started in 2005 with its inaugural Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia followed by the second Forum in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2006, Kuala Lumpur again in 2007, Kuwait City, Kuwait in 2008, Jakarta, Indonesia in 2009, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2010, Astana, Kazakhstan in 2011 and Johor Bahru, Malaysia in 2012.

Renowned worldwide as a yearly gathering for world leaders and top CEOs, the WIEF is also regarded as an SME-centric platform, attracting thousands of small and medium businesses from all over the world. The WIEF continues to make inroads into new territories, shedding light on new business opportunities in the Muslim World. Throughout the years, participation has steadily grown from a mere 600 delegates within the Asian region in 2005, to more than 2,500 delegates at the most recent Forums. The WIEF vowed to make an impact on the global business landscape, addressing pressing issues of the day and constantly strive towards building bridges through business between all nations and communities. - Borneo Bulletin (28 October 2013)