Sheikh Mohammed attends WEF summit

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Monday attended the opening session of the "Summit on the Global Agenda" which commenced on Monday morning at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

;Also present were Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy; Mohammed Omar Abdullah, Undersecretary of the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi; the Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in addition to a number of ministers and senior officials in the state.

The two-day Summit, at the Yas Marina Circuit, is jointly hosted by the UAE Federal Government and the Government of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in conjunction with the World Economic Forum. Bringing together more than 800 of the best and brightest minds from across the globe, the summit is often referred to as the world's largest brain-storming exercise.

During his address, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan stated "what is becoming increasingly clear is that the nature of the challenges the world faces today requires the development of new models, or the adaptation of traditional ones, if they are to be addressed effectively. Collectively, we all have a role in progressing comprehensive responses to increasingly complex global dynamics." 2011 Summit co-chairs, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy and Nasser Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Department of Economic Development-Abu Dhabi, represented by Mohammed Omar Abdulla, Undersecretary of the Department of Economic Development-Abu Dhabi, also delivered welcoming remarks during the Summit's opening session.

The first day of the Summit was attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of TDIC and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority; Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade; Mohammed Al Gergawi, UAE Minister for Cabinet Affairs; Saqr Saeed Ghobash, UAE Minister of Labour; Mariam Mohammed Khalfan Al Roumi, UAE Minister of Social Affairs; Dr. Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad, UAE Minister of Environment and Water; Reem Al Hashemy, UAE Minister of State; members of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, as well as a number of local and international ministers and dignitaries.

Holding the Summit in Abu Dhabi for the first time reflects Abu Dhabi's growing prominence as a premier international knowledge hub. More than 36 Council Members from the UAE are participating in the two-day event, representing government, the private sector, academia and civil society. Building on the UAE's role as a global agenda setter, the Summit is the first of two international dialogues in which the UAE is involved within a two-month period. The UAE has also been invited to participate in the G20 Summit, taking place in France next month.

"Following a decade characterized by an explosion of global challenges, and most recently a deep economic and financial crisis, we now live in a completely new reality," said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum. "In order to address these global challenges, we will concentrate in the next two days on the new models needed to provide a more appropriate framework for truly relevant decision-making."

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori welcomed Council members to the UAE saying, "few international forums have such a broad and flexible mandate. And it is this dynamism that makes the Summit on the Global Agenda a natural fit for the United Arab Emirates." "While each nation must determine its own way of doing things at home, when it comes to addressing major international challenges, we need to be able to think long-term," Mohammed Omar Abdulla told gathered Council members.

Following the inaugural plenary session, Council Members gathered into their respective areas of specialist interest in 79 different Global Agenda Councils. Each Council is made up of between 15 and 20 experts. The diverse range of policy areas discussed will include education, health and wellbeing, climate change, energy policy, technology, aviation, finance and security amongst others.

The Network of Global Agenda Councils is the world's first and foremost collaborative intelligence network, providing an innovative approach to catalyze solutions to the world's most pressing problems. The “Outlook on the Global Agenda” report drawn from the council discussion will serve as a framework for, and inform the organization of, sessions at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Klosters in Switzerland in 2012.

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