DUBAI (ALETIHAD)
The World Governments Summit Organisation revealed the agenda for the upcoming edition of the World Governments Summit, running from 3rd to 5th February under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’.
The agenda aligns with major global shifts and rapid developments across vital sectors, offering a future-forward vision that addresses key challenges and opportunities, while outlining the role of governments in laying the foundation for community development worldwide.
Convening over 6,250 decision-makers and thinkers, the World Governments Summit aims to formulate shared strategies and visions to enhance governance and international cooperation. Through a rich agenda of discussions and panels, the summit seeks to identify realistic, effective solutions to mounting global challenges. These sessions are designed to diagnose the current global and regional climate, and develop insights and approaches that empower governments in their new roles of ensuring prosperity and progress in a fast-changing world.
Marking the largest leadership participation in its history, the World Governments Summit 2026 will bring together more than 45 heads of state and government, over 15 deputy heads of state, more than 500 ministers and over 150 governments. The summit will also feature prominent global thought leaders and experts, with total attendance exceeding 6,250 participants.
The summit’s agenda features more than 445 sessions and over 450 global speakers including heads of state, ministers, experts, thinkers and decision makers. Joining these sessions are over 700 CEOs of major corporations, 87 laureates of prestigious global scientific awards, including the Nobel Prize, and over 80 international and regional organisations, global and academic institutions.
The summit is expected to attract extensive media coverage, with over 840 international, regional and local journalists and 44 media partners in attendance. This year’s extended agenda features 25 global forums and over 45 ministerial and high-level meetings.
The Summit’s agenda highlights five key themes including: Global Governance and Effective Leadership; Societal Wellbeing and Building Capacities; Economic Prosperity and Strategic Investments; Urban Future and Evolving Demographics; Future Realities and Emerging Frontiers.
In addition to planned forums and meetings, the summit will issue 36 strategic reports in cooperation with international knowledge partners, and will launch the 3rd edition of the Global Ministers Survey.
Honours at this year’s World Governments Summit include the Best Minister Award, presented in partnership with PwC; the Most Reformed Government Global Award in collaboration with EY; the Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development, held in collaboration with UN-Habitat and Dubai Municipality; and as well as the Global Teacher Prize, in partnership with the Varkey Foundation.
Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Governments Summit Organisation, highlighted that this year’s edition has seen the highest-ever participation of global leaders, attesting to the World Governments Summit’s significance as a premier platform for shaping future, and fostering proactivity and readiness in line with the UAE leadership’s vision to contribute to strengthening the foundations of international cooperation and solidarity, driving continued progress for all of humanity.
Al Gergawi said, “The world is currently witnessing a comprehensive restructuring of traditional systems, a shift far beyond fleeting changes. In this new landscape, governments can no longer afford to be reactive; they require a greater capacity to anticipate and act rather than wait. Global crises continue to test the endurance of international cooperation, and there is now a pressing need for inclusive forums that bring us closer. This reality underscores the significance of the World Governments Summit as a unifying global platform that fosters ties, shared action and collective intelligence, empowering governments to forge the innovative visions necessary for sustained stability and prosperity.”
Day 0 of the World Governments Summit 2026 kicks off on Monday, 2 February and will host the UAE-Kuwait Economic Forum, Arab Fiscal Forum, the High-Level Investment Forum: Latin America and the Caribbean, the Young Arab Leaders Forum, and several forums held as part of the World Laureates Summit which convenes world leading laureates.
Day 0 will also feature several ministerial and high-level meetings addressing labour, youth and AI among other topics.
The UAE-Kuwait Economic Forum aligns with the leadership’s directive to honour the enduring partnership between the two nations. Jointly organised by the UAE and Kuwait, the forum is dedicated to fostering economic, commercial, and investment ties while highlighting the profound historical mutual bonds.
Prominent speakers on Day 0 include Mohamed Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, UAE; Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund; Fahad Al Turki, Director General, Arab Monetary Fund; Daniel Noboa, President of the Republic of Ecuador and Hon. Edward David Burt, Premier of Bermuda.
Day 1 of the summit will feature a series of main addresses, keynote sessions and conversations with prominent speakers, including Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation; Alar Karis, President of the Republic of Estonia; Hon. Dr. Vjosa Osmani, President of the Republic of Kosovo; Taye Atske Selassie, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Dr. Nawaf Salam, Prime Minister of Lebanon; Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government of Spain; Irakli Kobakhidze, Prime Minister of Georgia; Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States and Liz Truss, 56th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Other sessions and panels will see the participation of CEOs of major global corporations, addressing themes including governments of the future, global trade and logistics, skills of the future, the future of tourism, and next generation economies among others.
Day 1 will convene several forums including the Young Scientists Forum, the Artificial Intelligence Forum, the Government Experience Exchange Forum; and the New Ecuador Forum.
Prominent speakers include Santiago Peña Palacios, President of the Republic of Paraguay; Đuro Macut, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia; Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Minister of the Republic of Sierra Leone; and Prof. Adam Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics (2011) of Johns Hopkins University, among others.
Day 2 will feature main addresses by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait; Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, President of the Republic of North Macedonia; and Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank.
A series of conversations will host Dr. Patrick Herminie, President of the Republic of Seychelles; Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt; and Calixto Ortega Sánchez, Vice President for the Economy, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Other keynote sessions will address the future of communication, the experience economy, AI, the future of Latin America, and the future of investment in Africa, among other topics. Key speakers include Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone; Hon. Duma Gideon Boko, President of the Republic of Botswana; Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe; Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania; João Manuel Lourenço, President of the Republic of Angola; and John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana as well as prominent CEOs and global experts.
Main forums taking place on Day 2 of the World Governments Summit 2026 include the Global Government Regulatory and Justice Forum, the Geotechnology and Policy Forum, the Arab Public Administration Forum, the Future of Economy Forum, the Government Services Forum, the Future of Mobility Forum, the New Silk Road Forum, the Global Dialogue for Impact, the Sustainability Impact Forum, the Future of Education Forum and the ICAO Aviation Leaders Programme.
Day 2 will also convene meetings and roundtables addressing the future of policies and behavioural sciences, the future of retail, multilateral trade systems, as well as an OECD and EU bilateral dialogue.
Day 3, which concludes the summit, will feature a keynote session with Mokhtar Ould Djay, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Another main session will be delivered by Lt. General H.H. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the UAE.
Other prominent speakers include Đuro Macut, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia; Evika Siliņa, Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia; José Ramos-Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste; and Saleumxay Kommasith, Deputy Prime Minister of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, among others.
Themes addressed during Day 3 meetings and roundtables include the future of digital economy, the future of digital games, shaping future governments, the future of government human resources in the AI age and others.
Key forums taking place on the closing day of the summit include the Emerging Economies Forum, the Future of Health Forum and the 10th ACS International Cooperation Conference.