The World Government Summit will take place in Dubai on Monday and will bring together hundreds of ministers, corporate executives, decision-makers, and specialists from all around the world.
Over the course of three days, they will consider important issues including how artificial intelligence is changing the nature of labor, the difficulty of feeding a growing global population, and the pressing need to combat climate change.
Elon Musk, the billionaire inventor of SpaceX and owner of Twitter, will speak at the summit alongside Mohammed Al Gergawi, the minister of cabinet affairs.
When Mr. Musk spoke at the event in 2017, he suggested that governments may need to take into account providing individuals with a basic income to reduce social inequality as a result of rising job automation.
Organisers have not yet said whether he will attend next week in person or remotely.
“The summit has become a point to exchange expertise, knowledge and ideas,” said Mr Al Gergawi, also chairman of the summit.
Additionally, the struggle against climate change will take center stage. In November and December, the UAE will host the Cop28 climate change conference. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the conference’s president-designate, will make a keynote speech on Tuesday on the challenges ahead and how the UAE hopes to prioritize action.
On the same day, Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan will give a speech regarding Cop28’s top priority issue: how to deal with rising sea levels.
Sherry Rehman, the Pakistani minister for climate change, Khadeeja Naseem, the Maldives’ minister of state for the environment, climate change, and technology, Razan Al Mubarak, Cop28’s UN climate change high-level champion, and Yasmin Fouad, Egypt’s environment minister, will also speak at the summit.
Abdel Fattah El Sisi, the president of Egypt, Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the UN, Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Dr. Tedros Adhanhom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, and will, a “futurist” and pop star. The three-day event is anticipated to draw i.am from all around the world.
Nick Clegg, a former deputy prime minister of the UK and current president of Meta, will also speak at the event. With Omar Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Remote Work, and Digital Applications, he will talk about enhanced governance using artificial intelligence.
The summit will also hear from the first Arab woman prime minister, Tunisia’s Najla Bouden, in a talk with Ohood Al Roumi, UAE Minister of State for Government Development and Future.
Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, will speak; and Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, will present his vision for the emirate.
An important topic of discussion will be how governments can deal with uncertainty, and attendees will hear from Nasser Al Khater, executive director of the Expo 2020 Bureau, and Najeeb Al Ali, executive director of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, about staging major events in difficult circumstances.
The summit will also host the economist Esther Duflo, an expert on how to tackle poverty, and chemist Dr Roger Kornberg, acclaimed for his work in the field of RNA.
In total, 250 ministers and more than 10,000 officials will attend 22 international sub-conferences, where more than 300 speakers will highlight the topics of sustainability, health care, economy, technology and establishing policies and strategies for governments.
World Government Summit takes place from February 13 to 15 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.