The 9th Worldwide Security Conference will bring together some 400 high-level policy makers, business and investment executives and public opinion leaders from all over the world to brainstorm on the central theme of economic security and deliberate on practical breakthroughs. It will represent an extraordinary opportunity for debating and networking.The choice of this year’s theme of the conference reflects the critical importance both of economic security in the 21stcentury and of the broad region of Southwest Asia and the Middle East - in light of the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan by 2014 and the changes in the region this will trigger. These present significant challenges and opportunities for the public and private sectors worldwide.Over thirty speakers are invited, including high-level officials from the region and beyond, heads of regional and international organizations, key business and investment executives, and acknowledged independent experts. The following speakers already confirmed:Dr. Khalid Malik, Head of Human Development Report, UNDP;H.E. Ambassador Pierre Vimont, Executive Secretary General, European External Action Service;H.E. Sham L. Bathija, Senior Economic Advisor to the President, Islamic Republic of AfghanistanH.E. Dr. Mohammad Yahya Maroofi, Former Secretary General, Economic Cooperation Organization;H.E. Ambassador Jan Kubis, United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of UNAMA;Dr. Nadeem Ul Haque, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Pakistan;H.E. Ambassador Somaya Saad, Assistant Minister for Economic Relations and International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt;H.E. Eng. Maysoon Zoubi, Former Secretary General, Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan; andH.E. Ambassador Hesham Youssef, Assistant Secretary General, League of Arab States.The speakers will meet in five sessions:> Economic Security and Regional Cooperation in Southwest Asia and the Middle East: Where Do We Stand?> New Directions for Water-Energy-Food Security Policies in Southwest Asia and the Middle East> Afghanistan and its Neighbors: Regional Imperatives with Economic Security> Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus: Enhancing the Role of Private Sector Investment in the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa> Addressing Economic Security through More Effective Regional Policy Frameworks