As a Commissioner on the ILO Commission on the Future of Work and as Founder & Chairman of AIWF, Haifa Al Kaylani was honoured and delighted to be invited to deliver a key address and participate on a key panel on the Future of Work and Lifelong Learning at the World Government Summit held on 10-12 February 2019 in Dubai under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai at the kind invitation of HE Nasser bin Thani Juma Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Government of the United Arab Emirates.
The World Government Summit inspired future-focused dialogue on how the future of governments can be shaped to deliver opportunities to citizens worldwide for economic growth and prosperity as well as social cohesion and progress. The Summit, held at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, brought together 4,000 high-profile officials from 140 countries, heads of state, global figures and leaders of 30 international organisations, as well as more than 120 heads of leading global private sector organisations.
The Summit was attended and addressed by HE Saad Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon; Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan; Rwandan President Paul Kagame; Epsy Campbell Barr, Vice-President of Costa Rica; Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations; French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire; Paul Krugman, Economist and Professor at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center; Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future; Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark; Guy Ryder, Director General of the ILO; and Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
Conference sessions covered ‘Post-Conflict Governance’, ‘The Future of Global Trade’, ‘Happiness and Well-being’, ‘The Interplay of Politics and Society’ and ‘The Future of Learning’. The programme also included a special Papal message to the Governments of the World from Pope Francis via virtual conference. With due diligence conducted by AIWF Global Partner PwC, the World Government Summit’s Best Minister Award was presented during the WGS programme to Dr Ferozuddin Feroz, Public Health Minister, Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
The AIWF Chairman was proud to participate on a key panel on the Future of Work and Lifelong Learning alongside HE Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, Minister of State and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Government of Pakistan; Khalid Koser, Executive Director, Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund; and Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Associate Professor, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. In her opening statement Mrs Al Kaylani said: “The 2019 World Government Summit represents a timely and crucial opportunity for all of us, representing governments, the private sector and civil society, to come together to collectively shape viable solutions for the critical issues of our time, as part of our joint commitment to creating a just and sustainable future working world for all.”
In her address, Mrs Al Kaylani talked about the recent launch of the ILO Report on the Future of Work, calling it “an excellent starting point to inspire and guide a human-centred agenda for a decent future of work”. She elaborated on the importance of lifelong learning and continuous education to address skills gaps and transform school-to-work transitional challenges for women and young people. “For both women and young people in the Arab world,” she said, “the school-to-work transition is already complex, as it is in many other regions globally, but this gap threatens to widen in the coming decades if left unaddressed, meaning women and young people will not successfully retain from their education the key skills that will aptly prepare them for the working world of the future.” She concluded: “The challenges are complex but by no means insurmountable. Addressing them through international collaboration, a universal rights-based approach and through multi-stakeholder partnerships is key to ensuring progression, prosperity and stability for future generations.”
The World Government Summit presented an excellent opportunity for the Arab International Women’s Forum to connect with distinguished representatives and friends from the ILO, the World Bank, the OECD, PepsiCo, PwC, the Fujairah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, as well as senior officials of the G20 Saudi Secretariat who invited the AIWF Chairman to participate in a roundtable on global economic challenges. AIWF has formally extended its warmest congratulations to HE Nasser Al Hamli on the outstanding success of this important initiative and its deepest respect and highest regard for the important work of the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation to empower the next generation of young leaders in the UAE and globally.
