Dubai: WGS 2023 closes with spotlight on a tech-enabled future that’s sustainable

Last updated on February 17th, 2023 at 11:49 am

The 10th edition of the World Government Summit (WGS 2023), which concluded on Wednesday, brought together 20 heads of state, 250 ministers, 10,000 government officials, and experts, as well as over 80 international organisations, to discuss a tech-enabled future that’s sustainable.

The summit, held under the theme ‘shaping future governments‘, officially kicked off on February 13 in Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah complex. More than 80 agreements were signed during the three-day event, tweeted HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Sustainability and climate emergency were high on the agenda, with Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, President-Designate of the COP28 climate conference, calling for a “major course correction” to tackle climate change. He even highlighted the “hard reality” that global carbon emissions “must fall 43% by 2030.”

Leaders and delegates from across the world will assemble at Expo City Dubai in November for the key climate summit where they will discuss ways to address the escalating climate emergency.

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Agreed in 2015 and signed by nearly 200 countries, the Paris Agreement aims to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C and to keep them well below 2C above pre-industrial levels. Countries at the upcoming COP28 summit are expected for the first time to conduct a ‘global stocktake’ to realise if pledges made under the agreement go far enough.

The Emirates is a noteworthy backer of green infrastructure and clean energy projects worldwide. It announced its intention to reach net zero by 2050 in October 2021, becoming the first country in the region to do so.

WGS 2023 prioritised early adoption of Artificial Intelligence, but also underscored the importance of regulating it.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and WGS Chairman, stressed how AI adoption is not optional but inevitable.

While one Emirati minister said the AI-powered language model ChatGPT wasn’t ready yet to write his speech, another read out words generated by the tool.

Musician and technology entrepreneur will.i.am called for regulating AI, expressing his fear about a day when he would receive a call from “something that looks like my mom, but is not my mom.”

Actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador Idris Elba hailed Dubai, saying the emirate deserved an Oscar for its incredible story.

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