Vinton Cerf, Google's Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist is set to address MENA leaders on the future of the Internet and innovation in emerging markets on February 10th. Targeting C-level executives and government leaders, the event will focus on driving awareness around the challenges and prospects for the Mena region with regard to helping spur innovation and growth in the online space.

According to Google, Cerf's arrival in the Middle East comes at an exciting time in the evolution of Middle East Internet development. Global Internet penetration currently stands at approximately 17%, however Arab online content is considerably lower leaving significant potential for development.

"It is a widely known fact that the Mena region currently produces less than 1% of content online in Arabic. This is both a challenge and an opportunity for the region to take a leap of faith and embrace the benefits of the Internet. The Internet is an amazing tool that encourages the free flow of information, the sharing of ideas, the ability to advance businesses across geographical borders and ultimately empower more individuals in their everyday lives," stated Vinton Cerf, Google's Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist.

The main objective for Google Day is to actively engage and educate MENA leaders on the importance of driving online content and highlight the future of the Internet. By creating a forum through which industry leaders from a variety of sectors including, government, ITC and business can get together, Google is looking to advance the sharing of creativity and innovation in the region.

Widely known as a "Father of the Internet," Cerf is the co-designer with Robert Kahn of TCP/IP protocols and basic architecture of the Internet. In 2005, Vint and his colleague Kahn received the highest civilian honor bestowed in the U.S., the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It recognizes the fact that their work on the software code used to transmit data across the Internet has put them "at the forefront of a digital revolution that has transformed global commerce, communication, and entertainment."

Highlighting the importance of Google Arabia 2.0 and the arrival of Cerf in Dubai Mohammad Gawdat, Managing Director of SEEMA and Head of Emerging Markets Council, Google added, "The future of the Internet in Mena is evident by the increasing growth of users coming online. Bloggers, specially design social networking sites for Arab users, and a host of other online tools are rapidly becoming more visible in our market.

Google Arabia 2.0 should prove to be a great platform to get community leaders together to discuss how we can collectively advance the 21st century knowledge economy across MENA."

Google Arabia 2.0 will take place on February 10th and is a by invitation only event.