We are live from the summit, being held at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, giving you the best of what we see and hear, updated every hour on the hour.
[Reporting by Huda Tabrez, Jumana Khamis, Sharmila Dhal, Evangeline Elsa and Virendra Saklani]
Tuesday, Day 3
Human beings must be at the core of government work: UAE leaders
Dubai: Human beings must be at the core of government work and the success of governments depends on how they prepare for the future.
This statement was made by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on the closing of the World Government Summit.
The seventh edition of the summit concluded after three days of discussions that featured government officials, thinkers and experts from 140 governments from across the world.
“The summit is a knowledgeable destination for government officials, experts and shapers of the future of government work. The three-day summit offered a platform for leaders of countries and international organisations, to forge partnerships and launch initiatives that would contribute to shaping the future of world governments,” Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid said.
He said the outcomes of the summit should represent frameworks for future policies and strategies adopted by governments and organisations. “The tasks of governments do not stop at serving their citizens at present but go beyond that and require them to keep abreast of rapid changes and prepare for the future,” Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid said.
Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed said successful governments are those which can turn ideas, experiences and future perceptions into action programmers. “No government can perform its work efficiently without considering the interest of its citizens first,” he said. (WAM)
'Wisdom is the great balance of power and tolerance'
Wisdom played an important role in the UAE’s success. This was described by Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior in the session, 'A Journey of Wisdom', during the World Government Summit.
He said: “The essence of humans are their minds, equipped with capabilities. Some of these were natural, others acquired. History has proven that those who use their capabilities to work positively are remembered positively. Wisdom is the cradle of power and tolerance. It was bestowed on all of God’s prophets. The last of whom was our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). It was also bestowed upon all other human beings including UAE’s founding father late Shaikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the UAE’s leaders.”
Talking about Shaikh Zayed’s vision, he said: “We cannot do him justice with only words. He was named the wise man of Arabs, he brought together wisdom and generosity.”
Shaikh Saif spoke about different kinds of wisdom: “We talk about political wisdom. The great Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was forced out of Makkah by his own people. He returned with a great army but wisely. He had might but he balanced wisdom with tolerance. Similarly, Shaikh Zayed with his wisdom was able to bring Egypt back to the embrace of the Arabs, at the most difficult of times. Wisdom is not something we just practice, but, also teach. We provide it to the upcoming generations.
We cannot do him justice with only words. He was named the wise man of Arabs, he brought together wisdom and generosity
“His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces successfully brought two countries that have fought for tens of years. This was possible due to Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed’s wisdom.” Next he said, investing wisely is also important: “You can invest in anything, education, real estate, technology. A week ago Russians declared they are planning to build residential buildings on the moon. Shaikh Zayed, also decided to invest, in you, in your parents - He was the first to allocate remuneration for students.” He happily recollected how there generation were very happy to receive the remuneration. Not just the education but even little things like the cheese sandwiches they used to get from school.”
He explained how Shaikh Mohammad went to Tanzania and realized that there was a need for education - he established a school, next year he went to visit and saw it had 70 students... He offered them remuneration and meals, projecting the Emirati model. A few years later he went back to find that the school now had 7000 students. He had to order for the expansion.” The next important thing, Shaikh Saif said was economic wisdom. He recounted of the time Shaikh Rashid first built the port in Dubai: At that time when everyone was saying it’s a difficult project, he didn’t stop, he decided to develop it. Today DP world is operating in 6 continents with 80 ports.”
Last but not the least, he said, we need social wisdom: “If there is no wisdom in society it will have a great impact.” To stress on the importance of social wisdom, he gave the example of how his own grandparents used to live: “My mother’s parents used to live at the coast of Hamma. They had a few neighbours and everyone’s main livelihood was from cattle or animal based sources. Each family would consume only what needed. The surplus would be distributed to the others. This type of a social equation, preserves dignity. This cohesion made me understand the reason for the Emirati strength to this day.” He said this kind of social equation allows us to achieve sustainability, “otherwise civilizations find their demise and fall”.
He said, a great example of this was the Islamic civilization that has extended from Andalusia to the borders of China through wisdom. It attracted minds from all over the world. Open movement allowed people to enter and leave, science was paid attention to, like it is by the UAE leaders today. This country’s forefathers used to say value of a book is equal to its weight in gold.
“Science helped us measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon and develop great navigation systems. Countries were provided health services and other services they needed.
“A great example of tolerance is Andalusia, in Spain. The community saw marriage between Christian and Islamic religions. This gave birth to a civilization of tolerance between people of different faiths and denominations, an open society. They were able to preserve the Islamic heritage to a great extent.”
“Power is important but so is tolerance. Tolerance is a part of our human nature One of the main teachings of our religion. The UAE has 200 nationalities coexisting peacefully and this is a source of pride for us. Our wise leadership has decided to turn the UAE into a global hub for tolerance, built a number of institutions and ministries for this.”
Shaikh Saif also thanked Pope Francis for his UAE visit.
At the award ceremony...
The seventh edition of the World Government Summit drew to close on Tuesday afternoon with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presenting the coveted Shaping Future Governments - Global University Challenge Award 2019 to TUCK Business School of Darmouth College from the United States.
The six-member team that ran up to the stage to receive the award from Shaikh Mohammad could barely hide its excitement as it struck a pose with the visionary leader, their Ivy League university’s green and white banner flashed proudly in front of them.
TUCK at Dartmouth was chosen from a total of 19 entries. Making it to the top three finalists were IESE Business School, University of Navara, Spain and University of Sydney Business School.
Earlier, Lt General His Highness Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, presented the GOVHACK Award to Made of Air, Germany, for its innovative solution under the Future and Progress category. The other nominees for this award included Chainframe from India, MUV Smart from Chile, Sou Sou from the US and Podaris from the UK. The Govhack award is given in recognition of innovative solutions by start-ups that can help governments serve their citizens better.
The awards ceremony began with His Highness Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, presenting the series of m-government service awards to the winners under seven distinct categories.
A gaming app developed by police in Kerala, India – Traffic Guru – won the ‘Best M-Government Award in Gamification Service’ while the award for ‘Public-Private Partnership Service Best M-Government Award’ went to the Chinese app WeChat. Other winners included Snap RX from the Philippines for data-driven apps, UK’s GP at Hand (Babylon) for emerging technologies, Indonesia’s Qlue-Smart City for public empowerment and Russia’s State Services gos uslugi for its accessible government solution.
- With inputs from Huda Tabrez
Lieutenant General His Highness Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan speaks at the World Government Summit on how wisdom is a balance between power and tolerance.
Shaikha Mariam delves into her past for the future
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, was once asked, if he didn't live in the UAE, where would he live. He responded: "If I didn't live on this land? I would be under it."
This powerful anecodote was shared in a special session at the World Government Summit by his daughter, Shaikha Mariam Bint Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"That was a pivotal point for me, it defined my path ... Until the last day of my life, I want to serve this nation," Shaikha Mariam said.
In a very personal account of her life, she shared pictures from her childhood, of her mother, father, son and husband. She spoke about life as a child in the UAE, living in a house with seven siblings and two rooms.
Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum arrives
Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed arrives
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces has arrived at the summit coinciding with the session to be led by Her Highness Shaikha Mariam bint Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairperson of Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation.
UAE if focusing on the health of the oceans.
In the Tuesday session, An Urgent Call to Action on Climate Change, Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment said that UAE has been consistently focusing on the health of its oceans.
He said: “Oceans are under great pressure - they are facing destruction of national habitat... Though they cover less than one per cent of the ocean floor, coral reefs support an estimated 25 percent of all marine life. They provide livelihood for 100 million people across the globe including those employed in fishing industries and marine tourism.”
He emphasised in the need to protect marine resources: “In the UAE, the ocean has been so valuable to our progress. Our ancestors have depended on fishing and pearl diving. We are focusing on preserving our environment and sustaining natural resources.”
The slow pace of climate action is wreaking havoc on our oceans.”
He also said that the UAE looks forward to host this year’s preparatory meeting for UN climate change summit.
The role of responsible communication in crisis management is critical, panellists at a World Government Summit discussion said on Tuesday.
Read more about the session
The session, attended by Bernardino Leon, director general of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, Johan Verbeke, former ambassador of Belgium and director general of the think-thank Egmont Institute and Nancy Jamal, official coalition representative of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh, was moderated by Noora Al Abbar from the Government of Dubai Media Office.
Meet the four-legged ANYmal
ANYmal, a highly sophisticated four-legged robot, operates autonomously in challenging terrain which can be used for for inspection and other tasks. Its four legs allow the robot to crawl, walk, run, dance, jump, climb and more
An overview of today's events
Harrison Ford: "The Future of our Oceans"
The greatest moral crisis facing the world right now is climate change.
In a Tuesday session during the World Government Summit, actor and philanthropist Harrison Ford said: “Humans are animals. We are animals with unique attributes and big brains. However, we are the only species whose behaviour can destroy the planet. We are not above Nature.”
He emphasised on how Nature has provided humans with a healthy intact natural systems. He added: “All these free services of Nature are threatened by what we are doing to the planet through climate change.”
Dawood Al Hajri: Rethinking Cities of Tomorrow: A Human-centric approach
“Technology has become a great blessing. From paying your bills to making financial transactions, you can do everything on technology.
Dubai is focusing on a new methodology of technology - one that priorities the happiness and health of the people.
In some cities there is an indicator called the walkability.
In Dubai, walkability was enhanced. We are working in order to make our cities walkabale so it improves the health of our residents.
Dubai is also looking at balancing Urban and natural environment. Social integration one of the key focuses. Creating green areas that enhance the social communication between people and between humans and nature.
Dubai’s Urban Plan 2040 will focus using vital resources responsibly.
Dubai will use Smart services and Artificial Intelligence in service of its residents."
Agenda
On February 12 (Tuesday) the World Government Summit draws to a close with an emphasis on the future.
Showcasing a high profile line-up pf speakers for various sessions, the highlights of the day include a session with Hollywood actor and philanthropist Harrison Ford speaking on "The Future of our Oceans", Her Highness Shaikha Mariam bint Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairperson of Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation speaking on "Choosing the Future We Came From" and the World Government Summit awards.