After a jam-packed three days of insights and analysis, roundtables and panel discussions, this year’s World Governments Summit wraps up, having brought together over 4,000 delegates from across the world.
At the conclusion of the event, ESG Mena takes a look back at day three.
Youth, education & knowledge-sharing
On the final day of the summit, the importance of education and knowledge-sharing came into view, with various sessions centred around these topics.
The day featured roundtables on higher education, sessions on the future of education, entrepreneurship as a route to personal development, and the digital education roadmap.
Indeed, the latter was also a focus of a report from the World Governments Summit (WGS) Organization, e& and Code.org., titled: ‘State of Computer Science and ICT Education in the United Arab Emirates’.
The paper explores the ins and outs of digital literacy in the UAE and highlighted that while only 24 per cent of the population possesses programming skills, 96 per cent of parents believe computer science fosters creativity, problem-solving skills, and structured thinking.
Further, sharing insight into digital literacy’s capabilities to close inequality gaps, 88 per cent shared that they believe computer science opens job opportunities and reduces inequalities.
On bridging the learning gap, the UAE highlighted its initiatives such as ‘UAE Codes Day’ and ‘One Million Arab Coders.”
Later, in a keynote during the ‘Cities of Opportunity’ session, H.E. Dawoud Al Hajri, Director General of Dubai Municipality, highlighted the role of youth in shaping the future and driving forward development.
“There can be no sustained development of societies without active collaboration with the youth as they hold the key to future and innovation. They have set ambitious goals for their development and to weave their successes through an effective government agenda,” he said.
On the knowledge-sharing front, the Government Experience Exchange Programme in the UAE announced the launch of leadership development programs with Kazakhstan, Malta, and Madagascar, with the aim of transferring the best practices adopted by the UAE in modernisation and government development.
Knowledge-sharing has been spotlighted by various individuals across this week’s event, including by New York State Senator Kevin Thomas, who spoke on the subject with ESG Mena’s Sal Jafar.
Health and pandemic prevention
Following on from the WHO Director-General’s warning that the world remains unprepared for another pandemic, health was once again an area of focus on day three.
Throughout the day there were a number of sessions on urban health and the pandemic, including one which explored an international legal framework for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, featuring Dr Jaouad Mahjour, Head, WHO Secretariat to INB and IHR Amendments and H.E. Amb. Achsanul Habib Vice Chair of Working Group, International Health Regulations, among others.
Other sessions explored the role of tech in promoting urban wellbeing in crisis, as well as challenges, opportunities and solutions in the space.
Today also saw The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and Emirates Health Services (EHS) enter into a strategic partnership with AI71, with the aim of enhancing and expanding the capabilities within the UAE’s healthcare infrastructure.
Responsible AI
AI has been a key feature of this year’s event, and discussions continued throughout day three on how to ensure a future where responsible AI is prioritised.
One session titled, Towards a Future of Responsible AI Roundtable, for example, once again brought together the likes of Dr. Yann LeCun, Turing Award Laureate, Vice President and Chief AI Scientist, Meta and Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO, NVIDIA to discuss this salient topic.
Today also saw the UAE, represented by the Office of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, sign three MoUs with the Republic of Austria, the Republic of Mongolia, and the Republic of Colombia to enhance the adoption of artificial intelligence in various sectors and share best practices in the field.
Meanwhile, the UAE’s Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications office and Emirates Global Aluminium announced a partnership to promote the adoption of artificial intelligence in the industrial sector.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers keynote address
On the final day, Guest of Honour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a keynote to delegates, which touched on various areas, including AI and crypto regulation, social inclusion, and sustainability.
The Indian Prime Minister also inaugurated the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during his two-day visit to the country.
Financial strategies in the spotlight
At the summit, the UAE’s Ministry of Finance signed a second renewal agreement with the World Bank Group for the payable advisory services agreement between the UAE and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
It also signed several partnership and cooperation agreements with regional and international financial leaders, with a number of specialised dialogue sessions on financial and economic trends.
Stay tuned for more ESG Mena interviews from the WGS.