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Dubai to help shape governments of the future

Summit aims to debate how governments can utilise innovation and technology to solve the challenges of our time and the future

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The two-day World Government Summit (WGS) — an annual event that has been held in Dubai since 2013 — started on Tuesday. The summit is a robust platform to discuss new ideas and insights, which can help shape a better future for our world. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is the guiding force behind the futuristic event.

In a fast-changing world, the visionary leader has consistently stressed on the need for the governments to put their best foot forward to innovate, to seamlessly embrace change and to cater to the growing needs of the masses. He has categorically stated that “the hopes of billions of people depend on the strategies, initiatives and proactive solutions provided by governments to face current and future challenges”.

And that’s the crux of the WGS, which seeks to help shape future governments in the 21st century. The summit is an agenda-setting exercise for world leaders and policymakers and aims to debate how governments can utilise innovation and technology to solve the challenges of our time and the future. The summit was started in the same year that Dubai won the Expo 2020 bid. It has been a roaring success because it showcased out-of-the-box ideas, which have been an inspiration for the next generation of governments.

The theme of this year’s summit is “Shaping Future Governments” and has brought together thought leaders, global experts, and decision makers from around the globe, who are discussing policies and models that are key in shaping future governments for a sustainable and an equitable world order. It strives to build a community of change agents who inspire and empower leaders of tomorrow through impactful events. Altogether 15 global forums, including six new forums, are tasked with tackling the threats emerging from volatile financial markets and new virtual worlds as society recovers from the unprecedented disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Emphasis is being laid on burning issues such as crypto currencies and metaverse, meeting of young leaders from the Arab world, cybersecurity in the aviation sector, and bid to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Dialogues with experts and thought leaders, which are held publicly and privately in collaboration with governments, private sector and international partners, are the primary thrust of the event. Over 4,000 participants and 30 international organisations from 190 countries are taking part in the WGS. The key meeting will be held on the concluding day on Wednesday. Curtains will come down on the biggest show on earth in this millennium, Expo 2020 Dubai, on Thursday during a night-long entertainment extravaganza and fireworks spectacle.