President Sheikh Mohamed: World Governments Summit can shape better future

UAE leader joined by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, in urging international community to drive change at annual gathering

President Sheikh Mohamed underlined the significance of the World Governments Summit on Sunday. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed called on the international community to seize the opportunity to build a better future on the eve of the World Governments Summit in Dubai.

Sheikh Mohamed said the annual global gathering serves as a key platform for promoting dialogue and harnessing new ideas in order to tackle pressing issues facing the planet.

More than 25 world leaders, 140 governments and 85 international organisations will be among 4,000 attendees at the three-day event, which has the theme "Shaping Future Governments" and gets under way in Madinat Jumeirah on Monday.

Some pre-summit sessions – including a wide-ranging address by Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, were held on Sunday ahead of the official opening.

“The World Governments Summit is the UAE’s responsible invitation to the whole world, to join the dialogue, share knowledge and invest in new ideas and creative energies that are capable of creating innovative solutions to development challenges, and meet peoples’ expectations of a good life and a better future,” Sheikh Mohamed said on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, spoke of the crucial responsibility of governments to effect change.

Pre-summit sessions were held in Madinat Jumeirah on Sunday before the official launch of the World Governments Summit on Monday. Chris Whiteoak / The National

“The UAE believes that real governments are capable of translating people’s ambitions into a sustainable reality," Sheikh Mohammed said.

"When government work is afflicted with stalling and procrastination, when it is dependent on happenstance, these are signs of the end of development, and the end of human civilisation itself.

"When governments fail to deliver their mission of leading and enacting change, they waive their entitlement to the present and the future; they retire from life."

High-level talks

The summit will host 110 sessions featuring more than 200 prominent speakers, from presidents to Nobel laureates.

A number of ministerial meetings will be held throughout the event, putting finance, energy and sustainable development on top of the agenda.

The event will include 15 conferences aimed at defining the future of AI, government services, urbanisation, education and smart mobility.

There will be six additional conferences to cover health, sustainable development, future economies and advanced technology.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will lead high-level delegations from their countries, which have been named guests of honour at the 11th annual summit.

Other heads of state attending the event include Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and Kenyan President William Ruto.

Sadyr Japarov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Andry Rajoelina, President of Madagascar, Mohamed Muizzu, President of the Maldives, Mauritius President Prithvirajsing Roopun and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan will also be present.

Key players in the evolution of the technology sector such as OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman and Jensen Huang, chief executive, co-founder and president of the Nvidia Corporation, will also help to shape the debate.