Today's Edition
Sami Abdulraouf (Dubai)
Under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and upon the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the 11th edition of the World Governments Summit will be held in Dubai from February 12 to 14, 2024.
Under the slogan “Shaping Future Governments”, the upcoming summit will witness the participation of heads of states and governments, more than 80 international and regional organisations, 120 governmental delegations, leading academics and global experts, and over 4,000 participants.
At a World Governments Summit dialogue held Tuesday at the Museum of the future, His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the World Governments Summit Foundation, affirmed that the new edition of the summit draws inspiration from the sound vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the exceptional thinking of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
During the dialogue, Al Gergawi announced the agenda of the summit, which will include 6 main themes, 15 forums, and over 110 dialogue sessions which will cover major global trends.
Al Gergawi noted that this year’s summit will host more than 120 governmental delegations, in addition to heads of state, government representatives, thought leaders, businessmen, and global experts, including 8 Nobel Prize-winning scientists.
“This year, more than 80 international and regional organisations will participate, with the presence of 27 heads of organisation, including His Excellency Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group; Her Excellency Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; and His Excellency Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League,” Al Gergawi said.
According to Al Gergawi, other notable attendees include His Excellency Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council; His Excellency Haitham Al Ghais, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC); His Excellency Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation; Her Excellency Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; His Excellency Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency; His Excellency Makhtar Diop, Managing Director of the International Finance Corporation; and His Excellency Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The list of prominent participants also extends to include Dr. Fahd bin Mohammed Al Turki, the Director-General and Chairman of the Board of the Arab Monetary Fund; Her Excellency Dilma Rousseff, President of the New Development Bank; His Excellency Matthias Cormann, the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; and His Excellency Gerhard “Gerd” Müller, the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Renewable Energy Agency are also expected to participate, among other organisations.
The summit will also welcome global leaders from the private sector, such as Sam Altman, the President and CEO of OpenAI, the developer of the chat GPT system; Guillaume Faury, the CEO of Airbus; Jensen Huang, the co-founder, President, and CEO of NVIDIA; Eric Schmidt, the co-founder of Schmidt Futures and former CEO of Google; Dr. Dario Gil, the Senior Vice President and Director of Research at IBM; Dr. Yann LeCun, Vice President and Chief Artificial Intelligence Scientist at Meta; in addition to a group of prominent global business figures.
The World Governments Summit, in collaboration with a select group of partners, will also launch a series of over 25 strategic reports focusing on the most important practices and trends in vital sectors.
The summit will also host 15 forums centred on formulating strategies and plans in key sectors. These forums are organised in partnership with several international organisations, global technology institutions, leading companies, and institutions dedicated to innovating new solutions for current challenges. The forums include the Global Health Forum, the Government Services Forum, the Arab Government Administration Forum, the Knowledge Exchange Forum, the Future Transport Forum, the Public Finance Forum for Arab Countries, the Future Education Forum, the Future Space Forum, and the Industry and Advanced Technology Forum.
The summit will also hold forums on a number of key topics, including Artificial Intelligence, the Future of Work, Emerging Economies, Governance of Geotechnology, Sustainable Development Goals, in addition to the Arab Meeting for Young Leaders and the “Time 100” event.
Purposeful dialogues will also be a main feature of the summit, including roundtable meetings that bring together world leaders, global government officials, international organisations, thought leaders, and private sector representatives. These dialogues aim to ehance international cooperation, identify innovative solutions for future challenges, ancipate opportunities, and inspire the next generation of governments.
The summit will also see high-level ministerial meetings, including meetings for ministers responsible for sustainable development; a meeting to discuss the features of the next generation of governments; a meeting for Arab finance ministers; a consultative meeting with labour ministers from GCC countries, and an energy ministers’ meeting to discuss the future of hydrogen energy.
Several awards will also be presented during the summit in appreciation of the exceptional contributions of government ministers, private sector representatives, innovators, and those working to build better societies for all.
6 Key Themes
- Government Acceleration and Transformation: This theme highlights the importance of digital technology as world governments have accelerated their digital transformation initiatives and rapidly adopt technology. This has contributed to the development of new opportunities and numerous challenges, requiring future policies to bridge the digital divide and ensure that no one is left behind.
- Artificial Intelligence and The Next Frontiers: This theme emphasises the importance of regulating and designing this technology ethically, as well as identifying emerging trends, which is essential for governments and international organisations to explore the future of technology.
- Reimagining Development and Future Economies: This theme showcases the need for individuals, organisations, and governments to adapt and innovate to stay competitive, as implementing advanced technology, new business models, and social trends becomes crucial to build resilient and thriving economies in the future.
- Future Societies and Education: This theme underscores the interconnection between education, societies, and the transformative power of technology. The theme highlights the need to establish inclusive, sustainable, and resilient societies in recognition that this connection furthers scientific and technological progress.
- Urbanisation and Global Health Priorities:This theme explores how governments can create urban environments characterised by innovative urban design and easily accessible transport systems, with a focus on solving current and future global health requirements.
- Sustainability and The New Global Shifts:This theme highlights the importance of adopting sustainable environmental practices to ensure a more just and fair world. Securing access to food, water, and energy while promoting long-term prosperity and resilience, is essential for thriving governments, businesses, and individuals.
