Faisal J. Abbas is regularly invited to talk, give lectures and moderate debates at a number of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions, international forums and private events.

He has debated twice at Cambridge Union Society (CUS) and gave talks at Magdalene College – University of Cambridge, London School of Economics, SOAS, University of West Bohemia, Lebanese American University, The Arab Media Forum among other institutions and events.

Faisal mostly talks about social media and its impact on Middle Eastern societies; however, he is often invited to talk about Middle Eastern politics, current affairs, socio-economics, Saudi Arabia and Islam.

For information on how to book Faisal J. Abbas for an upcoming event, please send your inquiry toinquiries@faisaljabbas.com.

World Economic Forum

Faisal is an active participant of the World Economic Forum. The WEF is an international institution committed to improving the state of the world through public-private cooperation. It organizes various forums and engages political, business, academic and other leaders of society in collaborative efforts to shape global, regional and industry agendas.  Together with other stakeholders, it works to define challenges, solutions and actions, always in the spirit of global citizenship. Abbas attends the Annual Meeting every January in Davos and is also an active member of the Global Agenda Council for Civic Participation and the International Media Council.

 Participation:

• 2016
  • Participant at the Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland
  • Featured in ‘Talking Davos’ for live streaming
• 2015
  • Participant at the Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland
  • Participant at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa 2015 in Amman, Jordan
  • Participant at the Summit on the Global Agenda 2015 held in Abu Dhabi, UAE

• 2014
  • Discussion Leader on “Digital Me”
  • Interview with Egyptian PM Hazem El Beblawi
  • Participant at the Summit on the Global Agenda
  • Signed a content-sharing agreement with WEF Blog
• 2013
  • Discussion Leader on “Stay Tuned: What are the top five stories likely to make the headlines in 2013?”
  • Participant at the 6th Davos Philanthropic Roundtable “RevolutiOnline.edu – Online Education Changing the World”
  • Discussion Leader on “From Tabloid to Tablet: How is the digital revolution transforming the media landscape?”

International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in the Arab World (Germany)

The main missions of the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy are to extend current research, programs and practices in the field of cultural diplomacy and create a platform to promote and sustain inter-cultural dialogue at all levels. The ICD actively encourages and supports cultural diplomacy as an academic discipline.

Participation:

• 2016
  • Participated by giving out a keynote speech at tje symposium, entitled “From Arab Street to Arab Stream: who do we now communicate with in the Arab World”

Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency Media Forum (Russia)

The forum aims to formulate discussions related to the condition of today’s journalism and its transition to post-mainstream, the evolvement of alternative media, the mainstream media and their clients’ loss of their monopoly to form the everyday agenda for the world information space, and the existence of new media as guarantors of the freedom of information.

Participation:

• 2016
  • Faisal was invited to come and participate as a speaker in Rossiya Segodnya’s Media Forum early in June 2016 and had the chance to express his thoughts in a panel entitled: New media: Guaranteeing freedom of information.

G1 Global Conference (Tokyo)

The conference aims to address global and regional challenges through English-only discussions. The G1 Global provides a unique opportunity for global leaders to interact, share visions for the future, and develop ideas into concrete actions.

• 2015
  • Participated as a member of the panel entitled “The Future of the Middle East”

Arab Media Forum (Dubai)

Faisal is a known active participant of the Arab Media Forum. The forum is held yearly in May in the Emirate of Dubai and is organized by the Dubai Press Club under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and ruler of Dubai. The forum is organized to serve as a platform for journalists and media professionals to debate discuss and deliberate upon issues that are relevant to daily life.

 Participation:

• 2016
  • Moderator for the main session “Covering the Middle East in the decade ahead and the impact of digital on journalism practices” with speakers: Ian Phillips (AP’s Middle East News Director) and Othman Al Omeir (Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Elaph E-Newspaper)
• 2015
  • Moderator for the panel discussion “The outlook for the Arab world from the perspective of international media” with speakers: Roger Cohen (New York Times columnist) and Michèle Léridon (AFP’s Global News Director)
• 2014
  • One on one with John Daniszewski on “The Future of News Media in the Region”. Daniszewkski is the vice president of international news at The Associated Press.

Abu Dhabi Media Summit 

Faisal is a known participant to the Abu Dhabi Media Summit. The summit is held annually in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It is a three-day event that features a unique combination of high-profile public sessions, closed-door discussions and private conversations, bringing together top-tier global media players and their emerging-market counterparts.

 Participation:

• 2014
  • Speaker on CNN Segment: From the Arab Spring to the Summer of Reckoning: The Transformative Role of Social Media in the Middle East

 Aspen Institute (Italy)

Faisal is honored to have been invited to attend the Aspen Meditterenean Initiative: Fifth Internaitonal Seminar, organized by the prestigious Aspen Institute. The Aspen Institute Italia is a private, independent, international, nonpartisan and nonprofit association that encourages a free exchange of opinions about knowledge, information and values.

Participation:

• 2015
  • Participated and intervened in the session “The State and the Net: redefining boundaries” which is a part of Aspen Institute’s intnernational workshop entitled “A Western Digital Renaissance: drivers and boundaries”  (October 2015)
  • Participated as one of the kick of speakers for the session “The business framework and the jobs challenge” which is a part of the Youth Forum themed “New jobs for new generations” (December 2015)
• 2014
  • Moderator on Conversation on Egypt: a new leader or a new country dinner session

Jordan Media Institute

Faisal is honored to have been invited to attend the Jordan Media Institute training organized by Google and UNAOC along with other prominent journalists from the region. JMI’s goal is to become a Centre of Excellence in journalism education in Jordan and the region. JMI provides two pillars of services – a one year practical MA in Journalism and journalism training programmes, in Arabic. The JMI is founded by Her Royal Highness Princess Rym Ali.

Participation:

• 2013
  • Keynote Speaker on Keynote: “From Arab Street to Arab Stream” for the the Jordan Media Institute training by Google and UNAOC for journalists