What better place in the world to address future challenges and opportunities than the UAE and Dubai? The city that has always been at the cutting edge will this week be the venue for the World Government Summit, with the theme of shaping future governments.
The event will be hosted by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and the line-up is formidable. The main address will be made, via satellite, by Barack Obama, and the 125 speakers will include World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, OECD secretary-general Jose Angel Gurria, former Irish president Mary Robinson and the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, songwriter and philanthropist Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Sessions will cover renewable energy, robotics, 3D printing, cyber security, the internet of things, health care, education and the specific challenges that Arab governments face.
With the participation of government officials from 125 countries, this is truly a global forum, and it will be conducted partly online, with Sheihk Mohammed sharing his vision for the future with his 10 million followers on social media.
The UAE is well placed to stage an event such as this. It is a young, nimble country that has time and time again shown its receptiveness to good ideas and its ability to implement them. The annual global innovation summit, to be held in September, is a proven incubator of ideas and talent. As surveys consistently show, the UAE is the country where most young Arabs would like to live – along with people from all nations of all backgrounds who want to turn their dreams into realities.
This is not a country that rests on its laurels – and nor can it afford to do so. We have long recognised that we cannot indefinitely rely on income from the fossil fuels that spurred the UAE’s initial, enormous growth. We have looked to air transport, renewable energy, technology, tourism and the financial industry as future drivers of the economy. The doors are always open to entrepreneurs and new ways of thinking.
It would be easy to dismiss the World Government Summit as a simple talkfest if nothing were to come of it. The proof will be when the ideas discussed at this forum are realised, both here and elsewhere, with investment and support from the UAE.
