WGS 2018: Session Held In Partnership With OECD Examines Impact Of Disruptive Technology On Society

The relentless pace of technological development and innovative breakthroughs brings forth unprecedented uncertainty. A special session titled ‘Disruption – The Next Big Things’, led by His Excellency Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), focused on these disruptive challenges as part of the Global Policy Platform discussions on day one of the sixth World Government Summit (WGS 2018).

The session’s distinguished speakers included His Excellency Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Industry, Patrick O’Donovan, Ireland’s Minister of State for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Sapar Isakov, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, and Boris Koprivnikar, Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia, in a lively discussion on the future of governance.

In his opening remarks, His Excellency Angel Gurría said: “The World Government Summit has become the strategic platform where countries come to discuss future challenges. The impact of technology on jobs and employment is a crucial concern. We estimate that nine percent of jobs will be automated or displaced, and a further 20 percent will be impacted because of disruptive technology – that adds up to a third of all jobs. With levels of public trust at record lows, governments have to show people that they can be trusted to set the right policies that will improve people’s lives and those of their children.”