The 3rd annual international conference on "Latest Advances in Enhancing Success Rates in Assisted Reproductive Technologies, ART," Anno 2017, was opened on Saturday by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Tolerance.

Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council, FNC, also attended the opening session of the conference. Hosted by IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic, it showcases the latest developments in conventional and modern infertility treatments.

Addressing the gathering in his opening speech, Sheikh Nahyan said, "Fulfilling hope is the speciality of you doctors, embryologists, research scholars, and technicians in the treatment of infertility. Last year, I noted that the IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic in the UAE had facilitated 100 pregnancies in its first year of operation. I understand that the clinic has now, after two years, enabled 300 pregnancies and achieved a remarkable pregnancy success rate of 70 percent.

IVI Middle East is well known as a premier provider of reproductive medicine services in the UAE. The recent merger of IVI Middle East’s parent company, Equipo IVI, with Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey exemplifies the international co-operation and collaboration that has characterised the economic development of the UAE. IVI Middle East will surely exceed its already astonishing record as a part of the new enterprise, IVI RMA Global, the world’s largest collection of clinics devoted to infertility treatments.

As the Minister of Tolerance, I am, of course, committed to education and youth empowerment. If the UAE is to be a peaceful and productive global crossroad, all the children living here must experience an excellent education that expands their horizons and helps them encounter and understand people, ideas, beliefs, and customs different from their own.

Children in the UAE are maturing within a marvellously diverse population composed of people from some 200 different nations living and working together in peace. Children in the UAE live in a global society, and they must be educated as global citizens. With such abundant diversity, I believe the UAE may well be the best country in the world to grow up learning tolerance.

There is nothing like being a parent to help one identify with parents everywhere. As parents, we transcend the usual boundaries that keep us from engaging and understanding people different from ourselves. Being a parent is one of a global society’s great unifying experiences.

By helping couples overcome reproductive challenges in the UAE or elsewhere and finally become parents, you are enabling them to participate in one of the most basic, most important, and most rewarding experiences that human beings can have. And, indeed, you are very directly promoting tolerance. I thank you for your efforts and wish you all a productive and informative conference," Sheikh Nahyan concluded.

"The annual In-Vitro Fertilisation, IVF, conference has established its presence in the region due to the growing interest from medical professionals in the industry. While the conference this year provides an interactive platform to help participants stay abreast with latest advancements in the industry, it also serves as a strategic forum to discuss international best practices with the ultimate objective of providing specialised treatment and care to patients," said Prof. Dr. Human Fatemi, Subspecialist Reproductive Medicine & Reproductive Surgery, Medical Director, IVI Middle East Fertility Clinic.