IMF Director Christine Lagarde, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri and former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will speak today
Pope Francis will speak to the Governments of the world, following his landmark trip last week
Post-conflict governance, the future of learning and learning from Estonia, Europe’s Digital Leader are all on the agenda
Global leaders in government and public policy are gathering in Dubai for the World Government Summit, a forum dedicated to “shaping the future of governments.”
In total, more than 4,000 decision-makers from 140 countries – including heads of state, ministers and business leaders – will help to shape the future of the planet at the event at Madinat Jumeirah this week.
Here you will find all the latest news from The National’s reporters on the ground.
All times UTC+4
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13:26 Saad Hariri: Key objective is to fight corruption
Lebanon will focus on fighting corruption and attracting investments, Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of its newly-formed government said on Sunday.
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Mr Hariri said that after nine months of forming a government, the country now has stability and security.
“We have developed a clear programme of reforms aimed at opening the way for foreign investors and working through it to develop our economy and eliminate corruption,” he said, adding they are working on tough reforms, which he says will help them overcome their economic crisis.
“Lebanon’s new reforms and laws will oblige the lawmakers to ensure their full compliance and implementation.”
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13:14 Lagarde: AI will harm women more than men
Artificial intelligence will impact women far harder than men, Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s Managing Director said on Sunday.
She also said the UAE is a model for promoting women, praising the number of science graduates who are women.
“In this county, in particular, women have space, they are promoted, they are encouraged. Did you know that there are a very large number of science technology graduates that are women,” she asked CNN’s Business Anchor Richard Quest.
“But artificial intelligence and this fourth technology revolution is going to have a more severe impact on women than on men,” Ms Lagarde said.
“It is because many of the tasks that are done by women are more routine tasks, are more easily automated,” she explained.
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13:03 Lagarde: Brexit outcome will not be as good as it is now
The outcome of Brexit, whatever it is, “is not going to be as good as it is now because there will be additional friction,” Christine Lagarde the IMF’s Managing Director said on Sunday.
When asked if the IMF is preparing for Brexit, Ms Lagarde said, “what is important is that the private sector and the enterprises get ready for it.”
She said it would be harder for ships leaving Calais to arrive in Dover, and no one can avoid that.
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13:00 Four clouds on global economy
There are four clouds on the global economy: trade tensions, financial tightening, Brexit uncertainty and China’s unexpected slowdown, Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s Managing Director said in Dubai.
“Political determination for the common good”, could clear these clouds, she said in conversation with CNN’s business anchor Richard Quest at the World Business Forum.
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12:24 Arianna Huffington in conversation with The National
Arianna Huffington sat down for an interview with The National on Sunday for an upcoming podcast.
Ms Huffington is due to speak in the Plenary Hall at 2 pm today in a session titled “Mitigating the Risk of the Next Global Epidemic.”
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11:50 ‘Refugee map’ shows how data can find homes for displaced people
A map showing the refugee population density in the German city of Hamburg shows how data can be used to solve housing problems.
The map, created by Finding Places, a Hamburg city project, uses optically-tagged Lego bricks to map the density of refugee settlements.
A map showing the density of refugee settlements in the German city of Hamburg on display at the World Governance Forum. Victor Besa / The National
A map showing the density of refugee settlements in the German city of Hamburg on display at the World Governance Forum. Victor Besa / The National
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The best pictures of the World Government Summit so far:
Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future and Chairman of the World Government Summit, speaks at the opening of the summit during day 1 at the World Government Summit at Madinat, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
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11:43 Will.I.Am launches voice-assisted platform in Dubai
Rapper and futurist entrepreneuar Will.I.Am launched a voice assisted programmed call Omega.
The AI-powered conversational and contextual voice assistant technology will be launched first in the Middle East and will work in both English and Arabic.
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11:28 Meet ANYmal – the four-legged robot
A four-legged robot is on display at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
It is made by the company ANYbotics, who list climbing over tough agricultural terrains, safe operation in industry and quick first response as its potential uses.
But at the World Government Summit, it is simply there to entertain, as Suhail Akram reports.
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11:07 Bruno Le Maire: ‘This is a moment of truth for the world’
France’s Finance Minister said the World Government Summit is a moment of truth for the future of the world.
“This is a moment of truth for the world … we need the engagement, the commitment of everybody,” he said, encouraging all parties to come to the table to find the future of the global economy.
“As the motto for this World Government Summit states … we are here to shape the future and state a better future for our children,” he said.
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10:58 Three goals for French G7
Bruno Le Maire said France will have three key goals for their G7 Summit in March.
Introducing a fairer global taxation system, which will solve problems of some people paying a lot of taxes, while large multinational corporations pay very little relative to their size.
A part of this would be introducing a minimum corporate tax.
The second point is a level playing field for responsible investment, to tackle the ‘debt trap’, in which developing countries become vassal states to larger states which give them loans.
The third priority is to address economic and gender inequality within countries.
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10:55 Le Maire: A new capitalism to help those left behind
It is time to create a new form of capitalism to create responses to those feeling left behind, France Finance Minister said in Dubai.
Bruno Le Maire said that standards of living for those left behind by capitalism have been stagnating, and we must find a new system of capitalism that helps those not benefiting from the wealth of globalism.
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10:50 French Finance Minister: Development of UAE is incredible
France’s Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire praised the economic development of the UAE, saying he is sure it will play an increasing role in the world’s affairs.
He also thanked Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE’s Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for his welcome yesterday.
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10:45 UAE to host global robotics challenge in Dubai
The UAE will host the First Global Challenge in October 2019, Minister Gergawi announced at the World Governance Summit on Sunday.
The challenge will bring together the youth of the world to innovate on robots and artificial intelligence.
“If you want to see the future of the world, come to Dubai in October,” US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said at the announcement.
“The future of the world, the brightness of the world will be on display here in October,” he said.
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10:20 Happiness Minister: Wellbeing at top of UAE’s agenda
Happiness and wellbeing are at the top of the UAE’s agenda, the country’s Happiness Minister said on Sunday.
Ohood Al Roumi, the UAE’s Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing made the comments at the launch of the Global Happiness and Wellbeing Policy Report.
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09:45 Tony Robbins: UAE has succeeded because of focus
The UAE’s success as one of the most prosperous nations in the world has come from focus, Tony Robbins, an entrepreneur and leadership expert.
Focussing on one theme each year, such as tolerance this year, contributes to the UAE’s success he said.
“We have so many nationalities working together in unity [in the UAE],” he said, saying how equal pay legislation in the UAE is something that even the United States does not have.
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09:40 Cities must be hubs of innovation
Cities must become hubs for entrepreneurship, Klaus Schwab, the Founder of the World Economic Forum said.
“Cities have to create an entrepreneurship-friendly eco-system … innovation will be the key factor of global competitiveness … cities have to become in some ways role models for creating an atmosphere where entrepreneurship can flourish,” he said.
The founder of the Fourth Industrial Revolution said that cities should be the hub for innovation and when something is working, it should be scaled up immediately.
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Minister Gergawi: ‘From information age to imagination age’
We are moving from an information age to an imagination age, the UAE’s Minister for the Future said, pointing out the world of ideas is borderless, while labour mobility is not.
Some 85 million creative jobs will be required by 2030, Mohammed Al Gergawi, the UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future said.
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09:23 Minister Gergawi: Who holds data holds the future
Data is key to the future, the UAE’s Minister for Cabinet Affairs and the Future said at the opening of the World Government Summit.
Minister Gergawi also stressed the power the private sector holds over people’s personal data, encouraging governments to innovate.
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09:14 Schwab: We must rebuild trust in global system
Klaus Schwab speaks during the World Government Summit in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak/The National
Klaus Schwab speaks during the World Government Summit in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak/The National
Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum, says we must rebuild trust in our global system.
People around the world do not want to wake up with nightmares, but “they want to wake up with dreams”, Mr Schwab said.
He also pushed for a multi-stakeholder society – not just governments but businesses, NGOs and intergovernmental organisations.
The UAE, the host country of the World Government Summit, offers a vision for the future, Mr Schwab also said on Sunday at the opening session attended by UAE ministers.
The opening session was also attended by Mohammed Al Gergawi, the UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future.
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09:09 Klaus Schwab: ‘Our global system is under stress’
People around the world do not want to be left behind anymore, the founder of the World Economic Forum in Davos said at the opening of the World Government Forum.
Speaking about how he founded the idea of the Fourth Industrial Revolution at the WGS years ago, Mr Schwab laid out dangers facing mankind: technology, social change, global warming.
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09:00 WGS begins with Tony Robbins and Christine Lagarde due to speak
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Global leaders unite in push for sustainable development
Harrison Ford delivers apocalyptic climate change warning
Water scarcity, AI and education on the agenda at Dubai’s World Government Summit
The World Government Summit began on Sunday with a slick video highlighting the potential of the governments to make a difference to the seven billion people living in the world.
The video brought climate change, population movements and technological problems at the forefront of the issues facing humanity.
The video ended with the phrase, “be the one for the seven billion.”
Christine Lagarde, Tony Robbins and UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed are all due to speak on the first day of the summit.
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08:41 Harrison Ford’s apocalyptic climate change message
Harrison Ford has delivered a stark warning about the impact of climate change as he prepares to travel to Dubai to discuss ocean conservation.
The Star Wars and Indiana Jones actor, 76, is one of the most high-profile speakers at this year’s World Government Summit, which begins on Sunday. He said that climate change presents “the greatest moral challenge of our time”.
Ahead of the three-day event, Ford recorded a video message in which he urged viewers to join him at the summit, which is now in its sixth year and will be attended by ministers, government officials and business leaders from all over the world.
Read the full story
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Highlights from Sunday’s Schedule:
09:00 – 09:30 Summit Opening: Globalization 4.0, Plenary Hall
Prof. Klaus Schwab, Founder And Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum
Mohammad Abdulla AlGergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs & The Future, UAE
11:00 – 11:45 High Level Panel on the Implementation of the SDG’s, Mina A’Salam Hotel
Moderated by Catherine Cheney, Devex
Hon. Henry Puna, Prime Minister, Cook Islands
H.E. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the UN General Assembly
H.E. Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice President, World Bank Group
H.E. Ban Ki-Moon, Eighth UN Secretary General, President of Global Green Growth Institute
11:50 – 12:10 Global Trade: Future Foresight & Analysis for Governments, Dubai Municipality Hall
Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics
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Global agenda to be shaped at World Government Summit in Dubai
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Water scarcity, AI and education on the agenda at Dubai’s World Government Summit
13:00 – 13:30 Special Session, Plenary Hall
H.E. Saad Al-Hariri, Prime Minister of the Lebanese Republic
Moderated by Emad El Din Adeeb
14:30 – 14:40 How to respond to the new challenges of global governance, Plenary Hall
Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy and Finance, France
Moderated by Manus Cranny, Bloomberg
16:40 – 16:50 Main Address, Plenary Hall
María Fernanda Espinosa, President of the United Nations General Assembly
17:00 – 17:20 A Conversation with Christine Lagarde, Plenary Hall
H.E. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF
Moderated by Richard Quest, CNN
17:20 – 17:35 Main Address, Plenary Hall
David Beasley, Executive Director, The United Nations World Food Programme
17:35 – 17:40 Papal Message to Governments of the World, Plenary Hall
Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church
17:40 – 18:00 Pope Francis in the Emirates: A New Dawn for the Middle East, Plenary Hall
His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, UAE