UAE highlights importance of new technology at WEF

DALIAN: The UAE Government took part in 12 key sessions of the World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Dalian, China, in the presence of more than 1,900 government officials, entrepreneurs and researchers from more than 100 countries.

The Forum, held under the title ‘Leadership 4.0: Succeeding in a New Era of Globalisation’, focuses on a number of topics, including the role of governments in keeping abreast of new technologies which emerge with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

The UAE delegation shared its pioneering experience in shaping a global infrastructure of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. It also underlined its commitment to employ future technologies for the service of people and their future.

Dr Ahmad Bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Higher Education and Advanced Skills, and also Co-Chair of the current World Economic Forum, participated in the press conference of the Co-Chairs in presence of government official and media outlet participating in the forum.

In a session entitled ‘Conversation on Leadership’, Al Falasi discussed the role of governments in keeping up with the new technologies and the fourth industrial revolution. Al Falasi also presented UAE’s pioneering experience in the ‘Talent Transforming Technology’ session and conveyed UAE’s aims to provide the future generation with the skills needed for future jobs in different professions and sectors in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“The UAE government has pioneered the development of human capital and directed the national cadre towards future skills so that it can adapt to the expected changes in the labour market, transform the challenges into opportunities, and equip the future generation with the highest scientific and professional standards,” said Al Falasi.  

Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, participated in two core sessions titled ‘Tech for Good’ and ‘Creating Inclusive Communities’.

She noted,”The UAE has launched initiatives to exploit technology for the service of the community and to provide customised services in the future, that will promptly improve the way of living and make everything from transport to health and education not only more efficient but also sustainable.”

“Blockchain technology, for example, will help both government and public to save time, effort and resources and facilitate the process of the users’ transactions at the time and place that suit their lifestyle and work,” she continued.

The Minister asserted that “the empowerment and integration of people has helped make the UAE not only a tolerant environment but one that welcomes the diversity of its Emirati citizens and residents.”

Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State, participated in a special session on the future of food and agritech. “Through our presence in this international forum, we seek to exchange experiences with different countries of the world and to transfer the UAE’s pioneering experiences in the field of future food security.”

She also added, “The development of Agritech is one of the most important factors for the success of food security goals at the global level, and we seek through this session to discuss practical solutions for the application of sustainable technologies in order to provide a safe and healthy food for the people of the world, and to affirm that the UAE does not hesitate to provide support and aid around the world.”

On the UAE’s pioneering experience in space exploration, Sarah Bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, participated in a session entitled ‘China, Science and the world’, and another entitled ‘Sustaining the Space Economy’ and reviewed the contribution of the space sector to sustainability and the development of a knowledge-based economy. “The National Space Strategy aims at achieving the UAE’s vision in the field of space exploration, technologies and applications. It also constitutes one of the pillars of the regulatory framework for the space sector in the country.”

She added, “The space sector provides a great opportunity for countries to benefit from a sustainable space economy, but solutions must be innovative and based on flexible legislation that enables emerging countries to take advantage of the economic opportunities offered by the space industry.”

Answering a question about space debris, Al Amiri said, “Managing space debris is important but legislation shouldn’t inhibit upcoming space players from entering the arena. Legislations could drive costs higher, curb innovation and make space less accessible to emerging space nations.” Abdulla Bin Touq, Secretary-General of the UAE Cabinet, stressed the importance of flexible government legislation to deal with the techniques of the Fourth Industrial Revolution during a session entitled ‘Governing of the Fourth Industrial Revolution’.

He pointed out that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is fundamentally changing the way society lives, works, and interact. All this in turn is changing the role of government. “The UAE is categorizing these new roles under the umbrella of ‘government-as-a-platform’ and the Reglab is an example of how corporates, startups, thinktanks, and local regulators come together to test new emerging technologies in the real-world, within defined constraints, before they are scaled to the whole country.”

WAM