Wise Media, organizer of the ID World International Congress, presented the conference agenda for the Citizen ID Forum 2009 recently during a press conference held at the Emirates Identity Authority Central Operations. The Citizen ID Forum, the global summit on the digitalization of citizen identification documents, opens its doors on February 15-16 under the patronage of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Interior, H. H. Sheik Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. The event is endorsed by the European Commission and supported by the Emirates Identity Authority and Abu Dhabi Police.

"The exposure to the experiences of other governments worldwide make this a unique knowledge-sharing platform that we are delighted to support," said H.E. Darwish Ahmed Al Zaraouni, director general - Emirates Identity Authority.

The Citizen ID Forum is the world's premier and most comprehensive summit on the digitalization of citizen ID documents, focusing on the most relevant issues related to the introduction of secure and biometrics-enabled identification documents. Building on the outstanding success of 2008, this two-day event will see the participation of key players behind the advancements in citizen ID programs and secure ID projects - including high-level government representatives, border control and law enforcement authorities. Confirmed speakers at this year's event include:

• Abbas Khodaverdi, E-passport & Smart Card Project Manager - Scientific Green (Iran)
• Ali Arshad Hakeem, Chairman - NADRA (Pakistan)
• Alan Matthews, International Business Director - The Forensic Science Service (UK)
• Major Gen. Ahmed N. Al Raisi, Director General of Central Operations - Abu Dhabi Police (UAE)
• Christian Lanng, Head of IT Infrastructure and Implementation Division - Ministry for Science, Technology and Innovation (Denmark)
• Elaine Dezenski, Managing Director Global Security Initiative - Interpol
• Elham Mohammed Saleh, Director of Technical Resources & Head of Smart Card Projects - Central Informatic Registration (Bahrain)
• H.E. Darwish Ahmed Al Zaraouni - Emirates Identity Authority (UAE)
• John P. Wagner, Director, Trusted Traveler Programs, Office of Field Operations - U.S. Customs & Border Protection (USA)
• Roman Vanek, Head of Identity Documents Section, Swiss Passport Office - Federal Office of Police (Switzerland)
• Stan Z. Li, Director for Biometrics and Security Research - Center for Biometrics and Security Research Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (China)

The Citizen ID Forum, which takes place at the Beach Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi, features two cornerstone initiatives:

The Conference, supplemented by interactive networking activities, will gather together a panel of top-level government representatives and leading figures in the secure ID document arena and act as the perfect backdrop for an open dialogue and analysis of crucial issues. Topics will include the progressive digitalization of passports, national IDs, driver's licenses, health cards and visas, as well as the future of smart tickets and payment systems.

The Exhibition, organized as a Technology Village with live demonstrations, illustrates the entire lifecycle of secure ID documents: from the integrated circuits and electronic inlays, to the durability tests, to enrollment, personalization and identity verification processes. Leading global suppliers will showcase stable and proven technologies for the creation of durable contactless and/or biometrics-enabled documents, cutting edge data collection systems as well as identity management solutions.