The UAE Government, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), inaugurated the Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity 2025 in Dubai, graced by the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA); and His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Co-Chair of the Global Future Councils, and Member of the WEF Leadership Council, as reported by Xpats.ae.
The event was attended by senior Emirati officials including Her Excellency Ohood Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future; His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications; and Her Excellency Maryam bint Ahmed Al Hammadi, Minister of State and Secretary General of the UAE Cabinet. The gathering saw participation from over 700 experts and specialists affiliated with the Global Future Councils, showcasing the UAE’s role as a global hub for knowledge exchange and innovation.
Strengthening resilience and future readiness
His Excellency Mohammad Al Gergawi emphasized that the UAE’s leadership continuously prioritizes building readiness and resilience across vital sectors, while developing frameworks to advance international collaboration through open dialogue. He stated that platforms such as the Global Future Councils, jointly organized by the UAE Government and the World Economic Forum, reflect this shared commitment and vision, underlining that shaping the future is a collective global mission central to sustainable development across all spheres.
As Co-Chair of the Global Future Councils, HE Al Gergawi reinforced that the annual gathering has become a leading platform for creating new knowledge, stimulating visionary thinking, and delivering innovative solutions for global challenges. He noted that the Councils now serve as a laboratory for identifying and sharing emerging trends, with their outputs shaping the agenda of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.
Empowering youth to design the future
In her address, HE Ohood Al Roumi highlighted the UAE Government’s commitment to including youth in decision-making and future design, affirming that empowering new generations is essential for achieving leadership and excellence. She described the current decade as a transformative period marked by intertwined crises and rapid technological advancements, noting a global decline in institutional trust, especially in developed nations, which signals the need to rethink global development frameworks.
Al Roumi further elaborated that the second major transformation lies in the accelerating digital revolution, expecting 70% of new economic value to be generated from digital business models in the next decade. She emphasized the importance of developing human-centric designs, shared ethical AI frameworks, and the continuous upskilling of societies to keep pace with emerging technological ecosystems. The growing digital landscape also brings escalating cybersecurity risks, with the cost of cybercrime projected to reach $20 trillion annually by 2030, reinforcing the importance of digital trust, resilience, and infrastructure security as vital components of a sustainable future.
Al Roumi identified a third transformation focused on redefining resilience, stating that current global systems struggle to keep up with the pace of change. She underscored the need for proactive and innovative resilience strategies that leverage artificial intelligence and data to not only respond to crises but also generate new opportunities for growth and advancement.
Encouraging dialogue and fostering a shared global vision
In his keynote speech, Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, commended the technological progress taking place globally but cautioned that geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty continue to overshadow advancement. “We gather at a time of significant complexity yet immense opportunity,” Brende noted, highlighting uncertainty as one of the foremost challenges facing the global economy. He urged nations to accelerate reforms and rebuild trust, noting that while technology continues to reshape the world, the pace of change demands stronger cooperation.
Brende remarked that artificial intelligence holds transformative potential, with systems already capable of matching and even surpassing human intellect, propelling sectors toward unprecedented innovation. However, he warned that this opportunity unfolds amid growing division, stressing the urgent need for unity and collaboration to address shared concerns such as cybercrime and digital threats. Concluding his remarks, Brende announced that the upcoming WEF Annual Meeting in Davos will be themed “A Spirit of Dialogue”, reflecting the values embodied by Dubai and the UAE as champions of dialogue, innovation, and global cooperation, as highlighted by Xpats.ae.
