HH Sheikh Mohammed to attend the inaugural Annual Meeting of the Global Future Council at Madinat Jumeirah

Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has affirmed that planning for the future is a core responsibility shared by all governments, private sector, institutions and international organizations and that a key factor to the prosperity, development and welfare of societies is planning and anticipating future challenges. Sheikh Mohammed’s statement came ahead of the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils, the world’s largest future think tank, is launching today at Madinat Jumeirah.

Sheikh Mohammed said that it is necessary for everyone to exert utmost efforts and develop the structure of all organizations in a way that enables them to march forward into the future successfully. He added that shaping and exploring the future is important to ensure all societies are prosperous and citizens’ well-being is secured. Further, coming up with possible scenarios for challenges expected to face the entire world across various fields will help transform these challenges into development opportunities.

His Highness also affirmed that communities have to anticipate rapid technological advances and innovation revolution taking place in the world in order to secure our future; adding that it is important to work quickly so that prosperity lasts.

"Today, the UAE brings together some of the world’s top experts on the future – hundreds of them, in fact – to tackle many of the issues and future challenges and to develop sustainable solutions for them. We have confidence that these experts will bring forth initiatives that will affect the future of mankind," Sheikh Mohammed said. "We are pleased that the UAE’s experience in planning for the future is strongly represented today in this global event, as top Emirati experts – including leading figures from the government and private sectors are taking part in this inaugural Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils.”

Sheikh Mohammed noted that in the UAE, we realized early how important it is to plan and prepare for the future and to effectively support the global efforts that are striving to move forward. With that in mind, we set off to create a better future for our young generations, launching programmes, strategies, and initiatives to accelerate achievements and build on our successes in order to cement the UAE’s position as a global hub and destination for future-focused government.

The Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils is a joint project between the UAE Government and the World Economic Forum (Davos), set to be held in Dubai for two consecutive years and will take place in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, on Sunday and Monday, November 13-14, 2016, resonating with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s directives to strengthen cooperation with the global Forum and work towards effective solutions for the challenges that stand to face the sectors of the future.

These Councils constitute the world’s largest future think tank. They seek to anticipate and plan for the future, and will come out with a blueprint of the major shifts and transformation expected to take place over the course of the next few years. This, in turn, will mark the beginning of a new era, where future experts actively plan for the future and formulate solutions and initiatives.

The Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils reflects the UAE’s unequivocal resolve to anticipate and create the future today. This forms part of the nation-wide efforts to achieve sustainable development. Future experts from the UAE will be taking part in brainstorming sessions, prototype-building workshops, and FutureLabs, tasked with devising mechanisms to formulate solutions for future challenges, and setting an agenda – inspired by the principles of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – for top strategic sectors, such as healthcare, education, and economics.

With 700 top-tier thought leaders and specialists set to participate, the sessions will concentrate on the radical shifts brought about by the elements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Blockchain technology – as they attempt to make accurate projections of the future of these innovative sectors, all while proposing solutions for potential future challenges. Key findings from the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Council will be presented at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, set to take place in January 2017, drawing in 2,000 high-profile leaders and executives from around the world.