DAVOS (ALETIHAD) 

Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Sports and Chairman of UAE Space Agency, participated in a multilateral meeting entitled “Space: Leaving No Country Behind” on the sidelines of the 55th World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 in Davos, Switzerland. Held under the slogan “Collaboration in an Intelligent Age,” the WEF runs from 20 to 24 January.

“Today, the space sector is a key driver of global progress and sustainable development. In line with our responsibility as a global community, and in light of the principle of inclusiveness and integration, we will work together to ensure the participation of all countries in this vital sector,” said Al Falasi.

“We have an exceptional opportunity to foster international partnerships in space exploration and build a sustainable and stable future for all countries to achieve a better tomorrow for humanity,” added Al Falasi.

“In the UAE, we believe that cooperation, knowledge exchange and expertise are the path to achieving our goals and visions for comprehensive development. We are committed to sharing our experiences and expertise with emerging countries in the space sector to enable them to develop their capabilities and harness space potential to support their development plans,” continued Al Falasi.

Al Falasi’s participation comes as part of a high-level delegation from the UAE that includes more than 100 heads of companies and private sector and government officials in the UAE. The delegation is headed by Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture).

The meeting was attended by Josef Aschbacher, Director-General of the European Space Agency (ESA); Mohammed Altamimi, CEO of Saudi Space Agency, William Marshall, Co-Founder and CEO of Planet Labs; Hiroshi Yamakawa, President of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation of Switzerland, Jeremy Jurgens, Managing Director of WEF, and several senior officials in the field of space and technology.

The meeting was also attended by Motoyuki Arai, Founder and CEO of Synspective in Japan, Hani Ashkar, Senior Partner at Middle East, PwC, UAE, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU), John Gedmark, CEO of Astranis in the USA, Kam Ghaffarian, Founder and Executive Chairman of X-energy, Max Haot, CEO of Vast, Dava Newman, Director of MIT Media Lab, and Bonginkosi Emmanuel "Blade" Nzimande, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of South Africa.

The meeting aimed to bolster cooperation between local space entities and exchange views on developing effective space strategies and nurturing national ecosystems. It also focused on prioritising space activities within national agendas based on challenges and lessons learned. Finally, it focused on providing guidance and support to emerging space entities through the National Space Program Toolkit initiative.

Additionally, the meeting discussed ways to maximise the economic and technological benefits of space activities by developing effective and less costly applications.

The UAE’s participation at WEF will cover a variety of topics, including the economy, foreign trade, investment, entrepreneurship, technology and artificial intelligence, legislative affairs, government development, education, environment, diplomacy, and others.

For the third consecutive year, the UAE is participating with a special pavilion at the forum under the slogan “Nothing is Impossible”. The slogan reflects the importance that the UAE attaches to this significant forum. The event will be attended by officials, heads of major local companies, officials in the public and private sectors, and a number of experts, specialists, and owners of successful and inspiring international organisations.