Global leaders will meet in Dubai next month for the World Governments Summit.
More than 35 heads of state are expected to attend the event from February 3-5, along with 500 ministers and other government representatives from around the globe.
Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait, Prime Ministers Pedro Sanchez of Spain, Mostafa Madbouly of Egypt and Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan region of Iraq are among those expected to attend.
The summit is set to reflect on major issues facing the world from the rise of artificial intelligence to economic uncertainties.
It also comes at a time of growing tension driven by wars in Ukraine and Sudan, as well as instability in Yemen, Iran and Venezuela.
Announcing details of the event on Friday, Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and chairman of the World Governments Summit, said the 2026 event promises to be the largest in history.
Thousands of other influential people, including technology pioneers, business tycoons and social media personalities are expected to attend to discuss the state of governments and the world.
This year's event will also feature the World Laureates Summit, which is set to host luminaries including Nobel laureates and recipients of international awards such as the Turing Award, Wolf Prize, Fields Medal, Great Arab Minds to discuss challenges and solutions to the scientific issues the world faces.
The conference will run from February 1 to 2, organisers said, with some joint engagements with the main summit on February 3.
Mr Al Gergawi, speaking at the World Governments Summit Dialogue event at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, said “huge and massive” changes have taken place across the world over the past few years and that more change was ahead.
The summit’s role, then, was about how to improve human life with the role of government crucial here.
“We redefined what is the future of government work,” he said. “Especially after Covid-19 and the changes that happened because of Covid.”
This year sees the addition of the World Laureates Summit, which is taking place outside of China for the first time.
Prof Roger Kornberg, an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2006, told The National the gathering in Dubai was hugely significant as scientists will be able to speak directly to policymakers.
“It has often been possible for scientists in small numbers, to communicate, to advise and to discuss with members of government,” said Prof Kornberg, who is chairman of the World Laureates Association.
“But it has never been possible for the world of science … to bring a message to those who the progress of science and, thus of the world, depend.”
Prof Kornberg said the WLA was also going to establish an AI agent network for leading scientists centres in Dubai with initiatives on blockchain and a type of science “coin” linked to a “tangible asset” in the works. More details on these are expected during the summit.
Those attending are expected to include Michael Levitt (2013 Nobel in Chemistry), Steven Chu (1997 Nobel in Physics), Kip Thorne (2017 Nobel in Physics), Yoshua Bengio (2018 Turing Award), and John Hopcroft (1986 Turing Award).
The scientists are set to hold about 10 sessions encompassing topics from AI and society to education to the process of discovery during their gathering.
Prof Kornberg said the discussion on AI would include reflections on its impact on society and science.
He said this would consider “to what extent can AI accelerate, or even in some way replace, what is accomplished by human scientists in the world today”.
When asked if he was concerned about AI, Prof Kornberg said: “On the contrary. I think quite the opposite. I think AI is a world-changing tool for everyone, not only us in science, but everyone as an individual.
“Anything that you would like to know about but, in the past, could not find an expert to advise [on] can now be accessed through a large language model whether it be ChatGPT or the equivalent on Google … AI delivers enormous benefit.”
He cautioned, however, that there is nothing that does not have risks.
"[There is] no discovery in science; no new invention, which does not carry the potential for both good and evil," he said.
“It is the responsibility of government to optimise the good and protect against the evil.”
He said the reason Dubai was chosen for the first iteration of World Laureates Summit outside of Asia was because it was the best place in the world for east and west to meet.
“And ... the only place that I know of that is receptive, that will invest and that sees the importance of a gathering such as this.”
Earlier in his speech at the event, Prof Kornberg highlighted the discoveries made possible through science, from antibiotics to genetic engineering, and said it was crucial for government to fund long-term scientific study as those with a short-term interest in the bottom line "cannot be expected to do so".
He said there would be a major dialogue on February 3 between scientists and leaders of government and industry.
The main World Governments Summit, meanwhile, will also feature 24 side-summits that will reflect on AI and other topics, a UAE-Kuwait economic forum and 35 ministerial and strategic roundtables along with awards such as for the best government minister and the Global Teacher Prize.
The 2026 edition is also set to feature about 200 sessions, more than 400 speakers, the launch of scores of reports and participation from more than 80 international and regional organisations.
Organisers said the summit is expected to draw more than 6,000 leaders from governments, the private sector, and international institutions.
And, in collaboration with the Government of Ecuador, will host the second edition of the Economic and Investment Forum.
“The world is meeting in the UAE,” said Mr Al Gergawi. “The summit will be the largest in its history.”
What happened at World Governments Summit 2025?
President Sheikh Mohamed last year said the World Governments Summit was taking place as humanity was facing major challenges.
Sheikh Mohamed said these challenges could only be surmounted through “through joint global action”.
“In an interconnected world, no one is immune from the impact of the historical transformations taking place. This necessitates the co-ordination of shared visions and efforts to harness these transformations in achieving sustainable and equitable development for all.”
The summit last year took place as wars continued from Gaza to Ukraine. The Russia-Ukraine war is still continuing, while a fragile ceasefire is in place in the Israel-Gaza war.
At the World Governments Summit 2025, billionaire tycoon Elon Musk and his infrastructure and tunnel business The Boring Company signed an initial deal to potentially bring an underground road system to Dubai, named the Dubai Loop.
At the gathering, American billionaire and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio warned that the world was the cusp of debt crisis.
