Day: February 13, 2023

DUBAI, The UAE Gender Balance Council (GBC) has discussed new ways to work with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), which is focused on empowering girls and women globally.

Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the GBC and President of the Global Council for the 5th UN SDG, met with Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the IPU and Member of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal, to discuss their commitment to advancing gender balance. The two parties agreed to develop a joint program with a focus on governments and parliaments.

The meeting formed part of the GBC’s World Government Summit engagements and events being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of the Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.

Al Marri praised the support of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed for the Global Council for the 5th UN SDG and the cooperation and support of the IPU for the initiatives of the Global Council. One of the key achievements of the Global Council for the 5th UN SDG is the development of the “Global Advanced Practices for Gender Balance Toolkit,” which provides guidelines and policies for promoting gender balance and women’s empowerment.

Chungong expressed his appreciation for the UAE’s efforts in raising women’s empowerment and gender balance, which has led to the country ranking highly in global gender balance indices. The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation to increase women’s participation and organise a virtual global workshop to further discuss the projects of the Global Council and conduct a joint study on the positive impact of having more women in parliaments in the region.

The UAE Gender Balance Council is participating in the World Government Summit 2023 to strengthen its global partnerships and raise the UAE’s status as a leader in gender balance. The Gender Balance Forum and the Women in Government Forum organised at the Summit will bring together thought leaders from around the world to discuss new opportunities to advance gender balance and women’s participation in government.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Dubai Municipality and the Project Management Institute (PMI) signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the World Government Summit (WGS) 2023, which kicked off today in Dubai.

The MoU aims to develop the capabilities of Dubai Municipality’s human resources in project management, organisational risks, agility and transformation in order to enhance the Municipality’s leadership in these fields and to qualify the employees, as well as enhance cooperation between the two parties and access to international best practices in this field.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Dawoud Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, Pierre Le Manh, President and CEO of PMI, and Grace Najjar, Managing Director of PMI’s Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region.

Al Hajri said, “Dubai Municipality is keen to develop its partnerships and strategic cooperation with various regional and international entities. The MoU with PMI is a step to benefit from the expertise and services of the pioneering institute in this field. It aims to enhance the leadership of Dubai Municipality in managing and executing projects and portfolios in a professional manner, which will support in achieving the desired strategic benefits. It will also help the Municipality’s plans in developing the human capabilities to implement the emirate’s huge infrastructure projects and planning projects and designing smart cities, translating Dubai government’s directives aimed at making Dubai one of the smartest and most sustainable cities in the world.”

Le Manh said, “Dubai Municipality’s leadership shows great commitment towards building and strengthening the capabilities of their professional community, which goes hand in hand with PMI’s empowering communities to help shape the future of their own nation. Dubai Municipality has recently won the Project Management Office of the Year Award 2022, and we celebrate their work that is leading us all forward.”

The MoU provides for the development of the capabilities of the Municipality’s human cadre, and the exchange of expertise, knowledge, scientific research and resources available to the institute, through its participation in writing and publishing scientific research on Dubai Municipality’s expertise in the field of managing projects, programmes, portfolios and offices, as well as hosting PMI leadership in events organised by the Municipality in this field, and to provide the opportunity for Municipality employees to obtain professional certificates provided by the Institute.

The MoU also enables Dubai Municipality to view the latest practices and services provided by PMI, discuss challenges by activating interaction and meetings between the leaders of the two parties, and offer knowledge workshops for Municipality employees by PMI experts from around the world, in addition to supporting the Municipality to become the PMI’s Authorised Training Partner (ATP), facilitating any necessary procedures if possible.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Prince Rahim Aga Khan, Chair of the Aga Khan Development Network’s Environment and Climate Committee, delivered, today, an address touching upon urbanisation set against the backdrop of global warming, at the World Government Summit 2023 taking place in Dubai.

Speaking to an audience of distinguished guests representing government, business, academia and civil society, Prince Rahim highlighted the need for urgent action to advance progress and tackle climate change, specifically through the sustainable design of cities.

It is estimated that 80 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by the middle of this century. “Much of this urbanisation is taking place in Asia and Africa,” explained Prince Rahim. “How we plan, design, and manage cities will therefore be of vital importance for our fragile planet and for humanity.”

While cities occupy only 3 percent of the Earth’s land, they account for 80% of energy consumption and more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions. “Because cities will play such a massive role in the coming decades, they need not only to anticipate and adapt to climate change as it worsens, but they must also contribute to its mitigation,” stated Prince Rahim in his address.

Citing AKDN’s work over many decades, Prince Rahim highlighted its first-hand experience in preserving, restoring, and developing the built environment in ways that not only honour cultural heritage, but also lay environmentally sustainable foundations for economic and social progress. Moreover, AKDN’s efforts demonstrate the value of successful partnerships between government, business, and civil society to improve wellbeing.

Omar Sultan Al Olama Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications and Managing Director of the World Government Summit Organisation warmly welcomed Prince Rahim’s participation at the Summit.

He stated “Now in its tenth year, the World Government Summit, established under the dynamic leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, is a global knowledge exchange platform dedicated to shaping the future of governments. Its activities focus on harnessing innovation and technology to solve the universal challenges facing humanity.”

“The World Government Summit provides a platform to discuss global trends and future scenarios. Furthermore, it is ideal to deepen the long-standing relationships between the UAE and global governments,” he continued.

Al Olama added that the UAE’s relationship with Switzerland goes way back in its history, accumulating more than 50 years, in the trading field, as the UAE was the most important partner for Switzerland in this field as well as the establishment of Switzerland’s businesses in the UAE to thrive its regional activity from the UAE.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The second day of the 19th edition of the International Property Show (IPS) featured the event’s ‘High-Level Conference’, which aimed to shed light on the sectors of real estate and construction.

The Conference’s first panel, entitled ‘Real Estate Leaders’ Perspective on The Development Sector; Opportunities, Threats, Regulations, and Technology’ discussed the UAE’s real estate realities and fast development over the recent decade.

Also at the panel, renowned experts have provided their vision of the real estate sector’s challenges, available opportunities and rising growth, and hoped that the real estate sector will attract investors from all over the world due to its multiple investment opportunities.

Participants in the panel also looked forward to seeing IPS contribute to helping property investors identify the indices and status of the nation’s real estate industry and understand the sector’s solidity.

The second panel, entitled ‘Digital Transformation: Technology and the Transformation of the Property Sector’, discussed the multiple cutting-edge, smart solutions and innovations which will have a considerable impact on the entire real estate sector in various aspects.

The 3rd Panel Discussion, entitled ‘Pioneers of Real Estate Views on the Market Outlook and Buyers’ Behavior’ discussed the major challenges that face buyers during the purchase process, in addition to how property agents promote and sell their properties in a way that does not conflict with property developers’ efforts,

On the sidelines of IPS 2023, nine Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed with several local and global organisations to boost cooperation, exchange experiences, and hold mutual meetings, aiming to take the real estate industry to the next level.

The IPS is an annual real estate event that is organised by Strategic Exhibitions & Conferences under the patronage of the Dubai Land Department (DLD). The event is a unique platform for promoting real estate in the Middle East to local and global markets.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Bain & Company, a global consultancy, announced its collaboration with the World Government Summit (WGS) as a knowledge partner, to promote thought leadership on topics relevant to government officials from around the world.

Samer Bohsali, Senior Partner who leads the Public Sector practice at Bain & Company Middle East, said, “We are excited to become a knowledge partner of the WGS. As leading advisors, we tailor our private sector toolkit and develop innovative solutions to create measurable impact for change-orientated public sector clients.

This year’s summit witnessed the release of ‘The Working Future: A Focus on the GCC’, a joint report by Bain & Company and the World Government Summit.

The report is based on extensive research by the company over the past year, examining the motivations and priorities of workers across 19 countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The report aims to provide insight into how firms and governments can get ahead in the competitive war for talent.

The report identifies five key themes that are reshaping work in the GCC and globally, including how people’s motivations change when it comes to working; Identifying differing opinions on what makes a “good job”; How automation is helping to re-humanize work; How technological change is blurring organisational boundaries; and Why younger generations are becoming increasingly overwhelmed with workplace demands.

Wissam Yassine, Partner at Bain & Company Middle East, and one of the report co-authors, said, “The report aims to raise awareness about ongoing disruptions to the GCC workplace and introduce leaders to a range of potential solutions to help them respond to these changes and stay ahead in the race for talent.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, In his keynote speech at the World Government Summit (WGS) 2023, Klaus Schwab, Founder and President of the World Economic Forum (WEF) “Davos”, stressed the urgency to develop new mechanisms that strengthen international cooperation in today’s multipower world.

Schwab also stressed the need for concerted efforts, in light of the humanitarian crisis the world is witnessing, to implement structural transformations within various strategic sectors, including the economy, technology and politics.

The WEF President commended WGS for its role in preparing for the future and keeping abreast of new technical developments in a world dominated by rapid changes.

“A few weeks ago, during the Davos conference, we discussed our ability to adapt to these global challenges, in light of various crises that require new mechanisms and innovative methods to help us reach a better future and serve the aspirations of humanity.”

He said technological transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution will impact the world for years to come. “ Governments in different parts of the world should play leading roles in keeping pace with changes,” Schwab said.

Regarding structural transformations to be witnessed in various vital economic sectors, Schwab said there will be about 10 billion people in need of energy by 2050. He stressed on the need to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and reach zero carbon emissions.

Schwab pointed to the political changes taking place in the world, which are transforming the globe from a unipolar world to a multipolar world. “This requires us to strengthen cooperation and enhance coordination at the level of governments, countries and institutions to maintain the frameworks of international cooperation, which in turn is reflected in the paths of development comprehensively,” he said.

Schwab said: “A few years ago, we considered some technologies a science fiction that was difficult to implement, but today it has become a reality that we live through artificial intelligence, new space technology, and industrial biology, which heralds a major change coming during the next 10 years, and requires governments to be ambitious in their decisions.”

Source: Emirates News Agency