WEF forums address key issues

Dubai;  The need for cross-border collaboration — to address the deepening water crisis in the Mena region — and urgent measures to introduce reforms in regional education were the key calls for action at the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Summit on the global agenda held in partnership with the UAE Government and the Government of Dubai.

"The open forums, through the participation of the public, have proved that the deliberations of the thought-leaders at the summit and the thought processes of the public are aligned," said Sami Al Qamzi, Director-General of the Dubai Department of Economic Development and co-chair of the summit.

"Forward-looking initiatives are imperative in meeting the pressing challenges of the region, especially water security and educational reforms, which have a far-reaching impact for the entire society."

Addressing the open forum on water security on the final day of the summit, representatives of global aid agencies said that ensuring adequate water supplies for a growing population is the top challenge for the Middle East and Africa, already the most water-scarce region in the world.

Rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, energy production and agricultural activity in the region have led to water overuse and intense competition among countries for available water resources.

Speakers at the forum reminded that water scarcity can set the clock back on social and economic development in the region and singled out areas for constructive public-private partnerships and private investments in global water security.

The final open forum on education and innovation focused on the "youth bulge" in Middle East and North Africa where nearly one in five people is between the ages of 15 and 24.

A range of educational reforms to encourage thinking and multi-disciplinary problem-solving and cross-sectoral skills and vocational training were discussed at the forum.

The forums aimed to bring the deliberations of the WEF Network of Global Agenda Councils to the public domain.