The World Governments Summit will return to Dubai from February 3 to 5, bringing leaders and decision-makers together at time of geopolitical challenges.
The summit is set to reflect on major global issues such as the future of government and international co-operation, the rise of artificial intelligence, and economic uncertainties.
It also comes at a time of growing tension driven by wars in Ukraine and Sudan, as well as the threat of US strikes on Iran.
This year’s gathering is expected to have the largest leadership participation in its history, organisers said, bringing together more than 40 heads of state and government, 500 ministers and over 150 governments. More than 6,250 participants are expected to attend.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit, former British prime minister Liz Truss and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al Sabah are among those set to attend.
The chief executive of Airbus, Guillaume Faury, and Makhtar Diop, managing director of the International Finance Corporation, are also expected.
Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and chairman of the World Governments Summit Organisation, in remarks carried by state news agency Wam, said the world was witnessing a comprehensive restructuring of traditional systems that were “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 co-operation, and there is now a pressing need for inclusive forums that bring us closer,” he said.
“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.”
The summit’s agenda features more than 445 sessions and over 450 global speakers. Joining these sessions are 700 chief executives of corporations.
This year's event will also feature the World Laureates Summit, which is likely to host luminaries including Nobel laureates and recipients of international awards such as the Turing Award, Wolf Prize, Fields Medal and Great Arab Minds to discuss challenges and solutions to the scientific issues the world faces.
The laureates' gathering will run from February 1 to 2, organisers said, with some joint engagements with the main summit on February 3.
Prof Roger Kornberg, an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2006, told The National in January that 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 association was also going to establish an AI agent network for leading scientists centres in Dubai.
The main summit will also involve scores of side-summits that will reflect on AI and other topics – a UAE-Kuwait economic forum along with ministerial and strategic round-table meetings, plus awards such as best government minister and the Global Teacher Prize.
Last year, Kristalina Georgieva, head of the International Monetary Fund, who is scheduled to speak this year, said artificial intelligence was like a “tsunami” hitting the global labour market, while billionaire Elon Musk and his infrastructure and tunnel business The Boring Company signed an initial deal to bring an underground road system to Dubai, named the Dubai Loop.
The summit can also be a platform for technological advancements. Dubai has outlined plans to launch flying taxis there, and in 2025 it showcased a “rail bus” that could reach up to 100kph and carry 40 passengers.
