The UAE government and the World Economic Forum (WEF) (Davos 2022) have signed a sustainable global strategic partnership deal that ushers in a new era of continuous, fruitful bilateral cooperation over the coming two decades.

 

The agreement aims to boost the exploration of future opportunities, while augmenting integration and cooperation in supporting global efforts to achieve mutual objectives and develop comprehensive future plans and strategies.

 

The UAE-WEF Sustainable Global Strategic Partnership was unveiled during a high-level meeting between Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Prof Klaus Schwab, WEF Founder and President. The bilateral meeting was held on the sidelines of the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, from May 22 to 26, 2022.

 

Creating new visions

More than 2,000 government officials, decision makers, scholars, scientists and elite leaders from the private sector and academia attend the annual meeting. The focus of the annual meeting is to create new visions and ideas that enhance readiness across governments and the private sector.

 

The partnership agreement was signed by Al Gergawi and Prof Schwab. The signing ceremony was attended by Mohamed bin Hadi Al Husseini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs; Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future; Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth; Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology; Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; and Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Future Foundation.

 

The UAE-WEF global partnership encompasses numerous levels of cooperation, partnerships, bilateral initiatives and programmes. The agreement seeks to bolster the UAE’s national strategies and achieve its future visions across different fields. It also supports achieving WEF’s objectives by leveraging innovation, technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and Fourth Industrial Revolution solutions and tools across various vital sectors.

 

Shaping the future

Al Gergawi highlighted that the UAE is positioning itself as a hub for positive future change, through the insights of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. He added that the new partnership agreement embodies the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to enhance the position of the UAE as a hub for future government practices, and a platform for pioneering partnerships that inspire futureproofing.

 

He said: “The UAE government is committed to designing new work models, which support futureproofing governments and improve societies’ lives as a whole. This can be attained through focus on the foundations of proactive strategic thinking, comprehensive plans and renewable systems to design and advance future policies in line with the global developments. The UAE plans to realise this through steadfastly sharing its advanced model for future forecasting and futureproofing, along with enhancing government resilience and readiness.”

 

He noted that the strategic sustainable global partnership agreement between the UAE Government and WEF reflects the UAE's continued commitment to promoting comprehensive development and realising its objectives. This can be accomplished through inspiring and supporting global governments; enhancing their current capabilities and developing them to ensure their readiness for dealing with future challenges and creating an integrated ecosystem of opportunities.

 

Crucial global challenges

Prof Schwab praised the joint efforts of the UAE and the forum, which contribute to strengthening the global capability to deal with challenges at various levels by utilising technology and innovation.

 

He said: “The UAE shares a remarkable vision of innovation for the global common good. The World Economic Forum is proud of our many partnerships together which aim to mobilise public and private sector action to address global food security, climate resiliency, trade innovation and responsible technology innovations as some of the world’s most challenging issues.”

 

Four main pillars  

The UAE-WEF strategic sustainable global partnership agreement strives to support and boost cooperation and integration through four main pillars: the Centre For The Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE; reinforcing public-private sectors partnerships; supporting the participation of UAE ministers and government officials in meetings, conferences and events organised by WEF regionally and globally; and launching a special summit that focuses on future opportunities and defining challenges for which the world must prepare.

 

The first pillar focuses on extending the Centre For The Fourth Industrial Revolution UAE mandate in the UAE for three years. The Centre plays a strategic role in shaping and strengthening the future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, alongside its relevant national strategies and plans, and the mechanisms for realising them, through public-private partnerships.

 

As a part of the Forum's global network of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Centres, the centre will work on designing development policies and cooperation frameworks that accelerate taking advantage of science and technology opportunities, and enhance the sharing of knowledge, science and data at the local, regional and global levels that contribute to accelerating development, by employing blockchain technology, digital assets, and artificial intelligence, in addition to blockchain technology sustainability.

 

Exploring opportunities

The pillar of strengthening public-private sector partnerships includes launching several initiatives and signing agreements to support the efforts of the UAE government and WEF and enhance their cooperation in finding solutions to major challenges at the social and economic levels and exploring future opportunities in vital sectors.

 

This pillar includes the launch of the Food Innovation Hubs initiative that focuses on establishing national food systems innovations with the aim of making an impact in local communities, and enhancing the use of the best global practices, experiences and expertise to shape initiatives that develop the work of innovation centres, in a way that ensures the strengthening of the UAE’s global position as a centre of food innovation and outstanding global practices.

 

It also includes the extension of the Scale 360” initiative for a period of two years, according to which the UAE became the first country to support the initiative globally, to be a global centre and an open laboratory for economic and technological innovation, and a leading model in sustainable development, which aims to employ Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to create a qualified environment and sustainable infrastructure to support the growth of vital sectors.

 

The UAE government, in partnership with WEF, will launch the global network of international accelerators. The global cooperative village will also be launched in partnership with global organisations, governments, the private sector, and community institutions around the world. It is a village in the world of metaverse for working together and cooperating in finding solutions to the urgent challenges facing the world, shaping new sectors, and setting a new vision for the regional and global agenda.

 

Enhancing global presence

The third pillar includes enhancing the participation of UAE ministers and government officials in major events organised by WEF. The forum will work in partnership with the UAE government to enhance their participation and global presence and sharing of best experiences and practices.

 

The participations will focus on events, conferences and sessions organised by WEF at the regional and global levels, including WEF's annual meeting, in addition to WEF's annual Sustainable Development Impact Summit, and other global conferences.

 

The fourth pillar focuses on agreeing to organise an exceptional summit focusing on future challenges and preparation for these global changes by identifying main global trends, and developing effective solutions, initiatives and programs that contribute to creating positive change. The summit hosts more than 500 government officials, private sector leaders, experts and specialists from around the world to share these trends in vital sectors.

 

Annual meetings

The UAE government also signed a strategic partnership agreement that focuses on organising the annual meetings of the Global Future Councils, in partnership with the World Economic Forum, in the next two years. These meetings will host more than 300 government officials, experts and specialists to discuss new trends and future changes in 20 major councils.

 

The agreement builds on the strong relations between the UAE government and the Forum, which span more than two decades and have attracted more than 12,000 experts from 100 countries over 14 years. More than 900 councils were held as part of the annual meetings of the Global Future Councils, whose first session was held in 2008 under the name of Global Agenda Councils.

 

The Global Future Councils contribute to strengthening the position of the UAE as a knowledge hub, gathering the elite of Arab minds and thinkers with the aim of developing a new vision for the future, creating the future, enhancing opportunities for generations and enabling them to face various challenges and find successful solutions. The latest annual meetings in 2020 have attracted more than 1,000 experts and specialists in 31 sectors from more than 80 countries to contribute to the development of a global joint effort in 40 global councils.

 

The UAE is participating in the activities of the annual meeting of WEF in Davos with a high-level delegation, which includes a number of ministers and officials in the federal government, and senior officials in the government of Abu Dhabi and the government of Dubai. Seven ministers in the UAE government will speak in key sessions covering the most vital future sectors.

 

The Forum focuses on six main pillars, including restoring global order and regional cooperation, ensuring economic recovery and foreseeing a new era of growth, building healthy and just societies, protecting the climate and food and nature sources, leading the industrial transformation, and harnessing the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.-- TradeArabia News Service