As many as 87 countries will be participating in an upcoming summit in Dubai, UAE to discuss governments of the future as well as the critical changes taking place at the global level in the development of government services.

The Government Summit will be held from February 9 to 11 at Madinat Jumeirah Hotel.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will open The Museum of Future Government Services, which includes an exhibition on new technologies that can provide future government services as well as applications that will shape a new generation of future services.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, will deliver the keynote speech at the Summit, organised under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’.

The Summit will have more than 100 speakers from outside the UAE, including Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General; Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum; Queen Rania of Jordan; Deputy Prime Minister of South Korea; president & CEO of Samsung Electronics ; and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak as well as speakers from international universities and organizations.

A group of international organizations will also participate in the Summit to discuss the future of governments. These include the United Nations, World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and World Economic Forum, in addition to international universities, academics, researchers and representatives of governments from 87 countries.

Among the main activities, the winners of two global awards will be announced during the Summit. The event this year will also be noted for its Museum of Future Government Services, in addition to a platform for innovation in the government sector, which will be the biggest of its kind.

Sessions have been lined up to discuss key issues in educational, health and technology sectors as well as smart cities, government services and innovation.  The Summit will also feature round tables for Arab government officials and international organizations.

Describing the overwhelming interest in the Government Summit this year, Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Government Summit, said the committee had to stop accepting requests for registration after the number of participants increased from 2,000 last year to more than 3,000 last week. The Summit will also host more than 200 journalists to cover the three-day event.

Prior to the official launch of the Government Summit, the final competitions of ‘The UAE Drones for Good Award’ will be organised on February 6 and 7 in Dubai Internet City.

The winners of ‘Best m-Government Service Award’ will be honoured by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum on the last day of the Government Summit. ‘Best m-Government Service Award’ received more than 400 entries from UAE Federal and Local governments as well as governments from the Arab region and the world.

The third Government Summit also includes a round table of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to discuss the major influences on the new generation of governments.

A ministerial roundtable will be organized on the first day for the public services ministries with the participation of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Malaysia. The roundtable will focus on the development of resources and government work efficiency as well as the development of skills of government employees.

On the third day of the Summit, UAE University will organize a forum for the heads of universities from the Gulf and Arab universities in which they will discuss innovation in higher education by addressing the most important global practices in this field.

In addition, the forum will discuss topics related to research policies and modern trends in the area of patents and the mechanism of promoting innovation among university students. Universities from countries in the region, including Egypt, Sudan, Morocco, Iraq, will take part in the forum. – TradeArabia News Service