As the World Governments Summit begins today, it is worth reflecting on how often the UAE-hosted event has tackled challenges and assessed opportunities, producing thinking that is ahead of its time. From topics as diverse as artificial intelligence and mental health, as well as food security, climate change and citizens’ happiness, for more than 10 years the Dubai forum has proved itself to be a valuable international meeting point, aimed at improved governance.
What makes this annual summit a consistent fixture of the international calendar is how expansive its exchange of ideas is; few other forums can command a list of participants with such breadth of experience. More than 30 heads of state and government will attend, including the Presidents of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Poland.
They will be joined by more than 80 international organisations and about 6,000 individual experts. Any summit that can bring tech figures such as Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk together with important individuals like Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has more than proved its relevance.
Those attending this week’s summit are meeting at a critical time. The speed and profundity of recent developments – global and regional – require strong leadership, collaboration and innovative thinking. In the Middle East, new governments in Syria and Lebanon are taking shape as a tentative ceasefire holds in Gaza. In Washington, a new and very different America is being created; this promises to have far-reaching political, economic and security implications for the rest of the world.
Indeed, many of the world’s current talking points – global trade, government efficiency, the future of health care and international security – will be scrutinised and debated over the next three days in Dubai. Consensus is never guaranteed but bringing together people with different competencies and perspectives contributes to better understanding – and in today’s fragmented world, this is a commodity that is often in short supply.
This storm of change that is taking place makes it more important than ever to prepare the next generation of policymakers. Complementing the work of the WGS this week has been the first meeting of the Young Arab Leaders Forum that took place in Dubai on Monday. More than 200 emerging leaders took part, and there are plans to grow the event; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has said the initiative aims to attract 50,000 participants in the coming years.
The UAE is an apt place for an ambitious project to develop leadership among the next generation. Consistent Arab Youth Survey results have revealed how many young people across the region see the Emirates’ model as one that they aspire to. A forward-looking approach to policy and problem solving will be indispensable in the years to come, owing to the sheer number and scale of the challenges facing 21st-century humanity. This week’s World Governments Summit is undoubtedly important for the present but also because it will set the tone for future convenings, with the summits of 2030 or 2035 also being ones to watch.
