Dubai, October 23, 2010 (WAM) - HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today published her Programme for re-election as President of the F d ration Equestre Internationale (FEI).

The Programme outlines Princess Hayas vision for the future of the sport. In addition to plans to build on and consolidate her first term accomplishments, Princess Haya has presented numerous new ideas among her second term pledges. A sample of pledges put forward in the Programme follows below: -The development of an FEI Solidarity Programme, based on the Olympic Solidarity model.

-Athlete representation, with full voting rights, at FEI Executive Board level, in addition to the creation of formal alliances between the FEI and racing, polo and other stakeholders.

-Transportation and quarantine challenges to be addressed through plans for migration toward compulsory microchipping of equestrian sport horses, facilitated and supported by the FEI, while still allowing and celebrating the various breed brands. Also included are plans for the FEIs Veterinary Department to hub a full-fledged transport and quarantine section within it, with a view to enabling the FEI to ultimately ship the horses of the National Equestrian Federations to FEI championships, in-house.

-Active diversification of the FEIs income and creation of new revenue streams; a change in the FEIs commercial portfolio, with a migration from sponsorship packages to commercial partnerships.

"This is a wonderful time for our sport, which is growing around the world and attracting ever-increasing audiences," said Princess Haya.

"It has been a great privilege to serve as President of the FEI for the past four years, and I would be honoured to have the opportunity to consolidate the gains and the progress we have made in a second and final term," she continued.

"This has been a time to reflect on learnings and accomplishments, while also exploring ways that the FEI can better support National Federations and athletes; Im very excited to share my programme ideas, which have been born of my conversations with National Federations and members of our sporting family around the world. Any election is about the future; its a time to re-clarify our long-term goals and the steps we can take to strengthen our Federation and our sport. While Im delighted with how far weve come, there is so much more we can do together, and Im eager to have the opportunity to continue to lead our Federations transformation." Princess Haya was elected as the 13th FEI President on 1 May 2006, on a commitment to modernise the organisation. She was the first FEI President to win a contested election. Her first-term accomplishments include significant improvements in communications, marketing, animal welfare, FEI finances, grass roots development and liaison with national federations. In her first act in office, she initiated a reform that limited FEI Presidents to two four-year terms.

In announcing her decision to seek a second and final term earlier this year, Princess Haya pledged to limit campaign activity in order to keep a primary focus on her ongoing work as FEI President.

"Now that our premier event has come to a successful conclusion, I am delighted to share and discuss my vision for the future of the FEI, and I look forward to our General Assembly," Princess Haya said, referencing the World Equestrian Games, which ended on 10th October.

The election will take place at the FEIs Annual General Assembly in Chinese Taipei on Friday, 5th November 2010.

The daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, Princess Haya has been riding internationally since the age of 13 and competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. She became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 2007 and also serves as a UN Messenger of Peace, with a focus on combating hunger and poverty.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2010.