The world is living through historic events that show now is also the time to invest in the future, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, has told an international conference.
In a speech to the UN's Road Map for Digital Cooperation, he said that, despite the pressure of tackling the pandemic, it was essential the world prepared for the next disruption.
“The UAE is fully committed to an initiative that increases global dialogue and is a keen supporter of the United Nations,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
"I would also like to express my solidarity with those suffering from the health, social and economic impact of Covid-19, and the families of those who have lost their lives because of this global pandemic.
"In the last three months, the world has witnessed a phase in history that will be discussed in history books.
"We have witnessed tremendous challenges and vast progress at the same time and we have all seen the problems of not making our governments' systems and policies agile and ready for any coming disruption whether it is good or bad."
He also said we need to "invest in what is to come, not what is already here".
The virtual conference, on The State of The Digital World and Implementation of the Road Map for Digital Cooperation, was chaired by the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
The Road Map for Digital Cooperation reviews the current digital landscape as it deals with the repercussions of Covid-19 and the new reality it has imposed on various sectors, which requires reconsideration of all existing systems. The Road Map also discussed the urgent need to build an international digital co-operation system that ensures technological equality, especially in less privileged societies, by using the experiences of digitally developed countries.
During the remote meeting, Sheikh Hamdan praised the UN's efforts to unite the international community, and said it was vital to invest in the future.
"The UAE Government of the UAE, under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, has invested for 20 continuous years in digital transformation, which enabled us to continue operations 100 per cent in the public sector through virtual world measures”, he said.
