Dubai: The 6th edition of the World Government Summit (WGS) is kicking off on February 10 under the theme ‘Shaping Future Governments’ and will run until February 13.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the four-day event will see the participation of more than 4,000 personalities representing 140 countries as well as 130 international speakers.

The event will include 120 interactive and dialogue sessions and discuss many pressing issues facing humanity with the aim of identifying innovative solutions. The sessions will also discuss ways to improve the performance of governments and ways to deal with and be ready for rapid changes.

This year’s edition will have India as the guest of honour and will involve honorary guests from India who will join the notable list of speakers synonymous with the World Government Summit to showcase the country’s emerging economic growth, highlight valuable knowledge, skills and capabilities and elaborate on the country’s unique culture.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lead the country’s delegation, which comprises 100 top officials, experts and specialists.

The Summit will review future-focused developments in various sectors such as science, technology, health care and the community as a whole and will explore how to invest and channel them for the service of human societies so as to ensure a sustainable future for younger generations.

“The World Government Summit has become a permanent knowledge platform for all governments. The Summit’s activities run throughout the year and its partnerships is in continuous development with all international organisations. Thanks to the directives of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid, the summit has become the world’s largest arena for governments to deal with future changes,” said Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, and Chairman of the World Government Summit.

“We have 130 global speakers who will speak during 120 sessions over four days. Through the Summit, We are seeking to create new international models of cooperation by leveraging new technologies to develop the work of governments,” he added.

Since its launch, the WGS has turned into a qualitative forum that attracts the elite of innovators, creative people and global influencers. More than 25,000 government officials worldwide have benefited from the summit to develop their governments. The Summit has created intellectual and strategic dynamism internationally and has changed many traditional ways of thinking in government work, Al Gergawi added.

A number of senior UAE officials and dignitaries will participate in the Summit including Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, who will roll out the next edition of Dubai 10X, which aims to implement Dubai’s vision to be the city of the future.

The summit will also witness international meetings of OECD, Unesco, IDB, IMF, WHO and WTO in addition to six forums including the Climate Change Forum, Arab Youth Forum, World Happiness Dialogue and Space Settlement Forum among others.

For the first time, the WGS will organise the ‘Global Policy Platform’, an international forum for high-level dialogue on government policies. The platform aims to promote the unique opportunities offered by the Summit by expanding the scope of dialogue and organising multi-stakeholder sessions with leading participants to discuss the latest opportunities and challenges facing policy development.