World Government Summit's pillars designed to serve 7 billion people

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Chairman of the World Government Summit, today highlighted that the event has become the world’s leading global platform for the brightest policymaking minds to come together and create positive government impacts on society.

The summit, now in its seventh year, fully reflects the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to shape a better future for humanity.

Briefing media representatives at the World Government Summit Dialogue on Wednesday, Al Gergawi explained that this year’s Summit – which runs from 10th to 12th February at Madinat Jumeirah – has been designed around seven key pillars, which are all aimed towards shaping a better future for the global citizen.

The pillars include technology and its impact on future governments, health and quality of life, environment and climate change, trade and international cooperation, education and its relationship to the labor market and future skills, media and communication between governments and peoples, and the future of individuals, communities and policies.

He pointed out that the summit has become a source of inspiration for governments and citizens with its successful global models of development in which technology and international trade play a key role in building relations between governments and their citizens to ensure a better future for humanity.

Al Gergawi said, "Today our world is connected, continuous, always changing and influenced by factors common to many governments. There are no developing and developed countries, just more than seven billion people looking for better health, better education, equitable access to technology, fair distribution of food and energy, and a happy and peaceful life."

The Minister stressed that the summit has become a platform for positivity, where inspirational success stories from government work are celebrated, successful government initiatives are shared, and where governments come together to exchange their work and ideas to forge a brighter future for people everywhere.

He added, "The World Government Summit attracts the leading regional and international development and civil service forums, which consider the summit a global platform to launch their dialogues and host experts from around the world."

For instance, this year’s summit will be the first at which the Astana Civil Services Hub has been hosted outside of the founding nation, Kazakhstan. It is one of several firsts that WGS will host this year. The Minister also pointed to the leading role of the Museum of the Future in shaping the future of humanity in an era of technological revolutions.

Al Gergawi noted that the seventh World Government Summit will organise 16 forums on the sidelines of the summit, and will have over 200 interactive panel discussions, including many open sessions, as well as 20 roundtable meetings that are set to highlight various relevant topics, with outputs that aim to enhance the efforts of governments and international organisations for the greater good of humanity.

The WGS 2019 will host three countries across the three days as guests of honour, rather than just one country as was the case in previous editions. The guest countries include Estonia – recognised as the best country in digital transformation in the EU, according to the Digital Economy and Society Index; Rwanda, seen as a pioneer of the development and adoption of modern technology in a post-civil war African country, and Costa Rica, one of the most prominent Latin American countries to implement peaceful and sustainable practices. The three countries will highlight their experiences during WGS in fields such as technology, sustainable development, happiness, and quality of life.

Al Gergawi said, "The World Government Summit has become an attractive destination to world leaders looking for best solutions and innovative ideas to serve their societies. One of the largest world events, WGS 2019 is set to host delegates from more than 140 governments and countries this year."

He revealed that more than 30 international organisations are set to participate in WGS, including several first-timers, such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation, and the International Labour Organisation, in addition to regular participants such as the World Health Organisation, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, International Monetary Fund, Arab Monetary Fund, Islamic Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Asian Development Bank, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Al Gergawi said, "This year, the summit will host more than 600 global thought leaders, including four Nobel Laureates. The high-level presence of world thought leaders reinforces WGS’s status as a generator of innovative ideas and policies for the benefit of humanity, and as a platform that convenes experts, specialists and international and regional organisations active in the fields of sustainable development, health and government services that meet annually in this global event to explore innovative solutions to development and future challenges."

He explained that the summit offers successful experiences and initiatives from across the globe and presents them to policy makers and entrepreneurs in the region to build paths for development and progress.

The UAE minister pointed out that the summit will continue to stimulate inspiring experiences through five prestigious international awards that celebrate outstanding humanitarian and government initiatives from around the world. These include the Edge of Government Award, the World’s Best Minister Award, the GovTech Awards, and the Global Universities Challenge Award. And there is a new award this year: the Data Visualisation Award, which helps governments and decision-makers transform big data into understandable formats that can facilitate the enactment of laws, policies and decisions for the well-being of humanity.

Al Gergawi also announced that WGS 2019 will publish over 20 reports during its three days as part of its role as a global reference for future affairs. These reports will become topical references in various fields to offer credible information and statistics that help decision makers in formulating legislations and devising work plans based on accurate data.

He stressed that, at its core, WGS shows a profound understanding of the role citizens play in shaping the future and aims to give back to humanity. He noted that WGS has also become an annual forum for showcasing successful UAE government initiatives and experiences and highlighting inspiring stories of innovative government practices that set the standard in overcoming challenges and can make a positive difference in people’s lives.

Strategic partners of the summit also participated in the World Government Summit Dialogue today. The summit’s key partners will lend their support to the three-day event to further consolidate the UAE’s position as a global leader in innovative governance and future civil services.