Dubai: Elon Musk, Idris Elba, Will.I.am among top thought leaders to address World Government Summit next week

Twenty presidents; 250 ministers; 10,000 government officials, thought leaders, celebrities and global experts from around the world; 80 international, regional and governmental organisations; 220 sessions and 300 speakers: These sum up the sheer scale of the World Government Summit (WGS) that Dubai will host next week.

From February 13 to 15, WGS 2023 will discuss six key themes that will shape future governments: Accelerating development and governance; future of societies and healthcare; exploring the frontiers; governing economic resilience and connectivity; global city design and sustainability; and prioritising learning and work.

Though the list of speakers is huge, we have rounded up the top names who will address sessions at the summit this year.

Elon Musk

He is the CEO of Twitter; and founder, CEO and engineer of SpaceX. On day three of the WGS, he will be in a conversation with Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of WGS Organisation.

Idris Elba

The English actor, who played Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador. He will talk about the ‘craft of storytelling’ in a session on day two of the WGS with Jeffrey Katzenberg, Co-founder, Dreamworks.

Will.i.am

He is the founder and CEO of productivity tool FYI. He is a musician, producer, technology entrepreneur and founder of Black Eyed Peas. At the government summit, he will address a session on accelerating tech for policy making on day one.

Nick Clegg

He is President, Global Affairs at Facebook’s parent firm Meta. He had joined Facebook in 2018 after almost two decades in British and European public life. He will talk about AI-augmented governance on day two of WGS with Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Remote Work and Digital Applications.

Najla Bouden

She is the Prime Minister of Tunisia and took office on October 11, 2021. On day two of the WGS, she will talk about her journey to becoming the first female prime minister in Tunisia and the Arab world.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

She is the seventh Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). She took office on March 1, 2021, becoming the first woman and the first African to serve as Director-General. On day one of the WGS, she will talk about global trade post globalisation.

Abdel Fattah Al Sisi

He has been the President of Egypt since 2014. The UAE and Egypt celebrated 50 years of bilateral relations in October last year. At the WGS, he will address a main session on day one.

Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Sabah

He is a Kuwaiti politician and military official who has been the Prime Minister of Kuwait since July 2022. He will address a plenary session on day one.

Klaus Schwab

He is the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, the international organization for public-private cooperation. He will deliver a note on the ‘state of the world’ in one of the first sessions of the WGS.

António Guterres

The ninth secretary-general of the United Nations, he took office on January 1, 2017. Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth, from refugee camps to war zones, he has focused efforts on ensuring human dignity for all. He will address a session on day two of the WGS.

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