Oliver Cann, Public Engagement, Tel.: +41 (0)79 799 3405; email: oliver.cann@weforum.org
· Annual Meeting for Shaping the Future will build on the work of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Councils to prepare governments, businesses and communities for the Fourth Industrial Revolution
· Latest collaboration between the Forum and the Government of the United Arab Emirates builds on a partnership dating back to the first Summit on the Global Agenda in 2008
· Outcomes of the meeting will inform the agenda of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and contribute to UAE projects, including the World Government Summit and Dubai’s Museum of the Future
Geneva, Switzerland, 28 June 2016 – Reflecting their long-standing partnership, the World Economic Forum, as the international organization for Public-Private Cooperation, and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to renew their collaboration by convening the Annual Meeting for Shaping the Future on 13-14 November 2016 in Dubai. This collaboration will also include the Dubai Future Foundation, a new Dubai-based entity dedicated to science and the future of innovation and exploring the next generation of technology.
The meeting will build on the work of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Councils, which were established in 2008 in cooperation with the UAE. Given the imperative of governments, industries and communities to respond to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, these councils will be recomposed as Global Future Councils with a mandate to address systemic change in key areas such as energy, mobility, infrastructure, as well as technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, biotechnology and other disciplines related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said: “The Fourth Industrial Revolution integrates an array of technologies from the biological to the digital that will affect the future of political, economic and social systems. This revolution will change everything, and we have to be prepared for this rapid change. Governments need to be ready to keep pace by adopting the necessary innovations to prepare their citizens and provide them the best services. In this regard, the UAE has the long-term vision and the ability to shape the future. It has what it takes to lead an innovative laboratory that shapes future systems on behalf of the world.”
The outcomes of the Annual Meeting for Shaping the Future will inform the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, as well as strategic projects of the UAE government.
Notes to Editors
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