In his keynote speech at the First Annual West Asia North Africa (WANA) Forum, Serageldin addressed the challenges and potential for cooperation in the WANA region, weaving together the social, economic and environmental tracks. The Forum was opened by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, Yohei Sasakawa, Chairperson of the Nippon Foundation and President Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland and Nobel Peace Laureate. In an effort to build trust in the region and to address urgent issues that cannot wait until ongoing conflicts are resolved, the forum brings together key individuals from all over the WANA region to identify and prioritize the most pressing shared concerns and to formulate concrete policy proposals to be presented to the decision-makers.