Thales is a leading player in government-driven citizen ID programs and has a strong presence in the Gulf Coast countries. Today, Thales is the largest system integrator in the region and a strategic partner of many ministries of transport, ministries of interior and armed forces for the delivery of mission critical systems. Among the countless citizen identity projects deployed by the company in the GCC and worldwide is the world's first contactless national ID card in Morocco, one of the major topics to be discussed at the annual summit on government-driven citizen ID programs. The Citizen ID Forum was chosen by Thales as the ideal platform to share its experience in this sector with the international community of decision makers behind the next generation of citizen ID projects.

Peter DiToro, vice president Professional Services, Thales Information Systems Security, will address this audience in the 'eID and Government Services' session on February 16 (11:15 - 13:00), illustrating the importance of comprehensive system test strategies to ensure eID deployments work in the real world.

Thales will also exhibit at the Citizen ID Forum technology village, where representatives will be on hand to provide information and demonstrate the company's latest identity and security solutions, products and service offerings.

The Citizen ID Forum 2009, sponsored by Thales, takes place under the patronage of the Minister of Interior of the UAE, H.H. Sheik Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan and is endorsed by the European Commission. It is supported by the Emirates Identity Authority and Abu Dhabi Police. Previous editions of the event have been endorsed by the French Ministry of Interior, the German Ministry of Interior, the Italian Ministry of Interior and the Turkish Ministry of Interior.