DUBAI: The 2024 Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils began in Dubai on Wednesday, bringing together 500 delegates and experts to discuss issues related to artificial intelligence, the environment and governance.
Organized in partnership with the UAE government, the event was opened by Klaus Schwab, chairman of the World Economic Forum, who emphasized the need for humanity to rethink its relationship with nature and to stay hopeful about the future.
“We moved from an agricultural to an industrial world, and now we are at the intelligent age. To have a better future we must believe in one and we must design it,” Schwab said, arguing that the abandonment of hope for a better world is one of the biggest dangers to mankind.
Schwab said that technology is not inherently a threat but emphasized that global cooperation is essential in setting boundaries, particularly around AI, to address the challenges facing the world.
The meeting, which runs until Thursday, brings together government officials, futurists and experts from public, private, academic and international sectors in 80 countries. The discussions aim to strengthen cooperation and tackle societal challenges.
More than 500 delegates will engage in 30 councils to address opportunities and challenges in five key areas: technology and AI; environment and climate change; governance; economics and finance; and society.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, the UAE’s minister of cabinet affairs, echoed Schwab’s optimism, noting that a better future must be built on hope and an understanding of the past.
“We cannot have a better future without understanding the past,” Gergawi said. “We find ourselves surrounded by rapid changes today and some of our convictions under scrutiny.
“We thought as the world becomes more interconnected, conflicts and military confrontations would diminish. We also thought some global institutions were unshakable but they are also under scrutiny. Instead we have increased societal divisions.”
Gergawi stressed that adaptability is key for governments to navigate these shifts.
“Sustainability and economy can thrive and can be linked to environmental protection. There is no constant in life, governments must remain open to new ideas at the heart of their strategies. Those who master adaptability will master the future,” he said.
The WEF’s Global Future Councils is a network designed to address global challenges through transformative ideas. Its 30 councils, composed of experts from business, government, academia and civil society, aim to generate insights to help address critical global issues.
For the first time, the event features significant private sector participation, with 70 top CEOs from leading global companies offering insights on the future of their respective industries.
The ideas generated at this year’s meeting will contribute to the WEF’s broader mission of fostering cross-sector partnerships to tackle complex global challenges. These discussions will also help shape the agenda for the 2025 annual meeting in Davos and the year-round work of the forum’s 10 centers.
In his speech, Gergawi also addressed the conflicts affecting the Middle East, stressing the importance of moving forward rather than remaining trapped by the region’s past challenges.
“We live in an era where civilizations can change within a few years. The role of governments is to get our society, our education and health sectors ready for the future. We cannot move away and move on from the past that creates conflicts fast enough.”
