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NEW YORK / WAM
Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, participated in the first meeting of the High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation, convened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 24-25.
“The issues this panel is working on affect practically every aspect of modern, digitally enabled life. Digital technologies have already delivered incredible advances in human development, and we have only begun to tap their potential for improving the way governments deliver services, companies create new products, and people interact and connect,” said Al Gergawi.
“However, there are also an increasing number of unseen challenges that rapid technological advancement can bring, many of which are global in nature. There is a clear need for a system of cooperation among relevant stakeholders in the digital space, and for clear recommendations on how to build on opportunities and address challenges,” he added.
The minister continued, “I firmly believe in our collective ability to work together, through agile and more inclusive approaches to governance. This is why I am excited about the work of this panel.”
The panel is co-led by Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of the Alibaba Group. Al Gergawi was selected by the UN Secretary-General as one of 20 eminent experts on digital technology to serve on the panel.
“The speed and scale of change in society today is unprecedented. Cooperation on digital technology is critical and we’re looking for new ideas from this high-level panel,” said Secretary-General Guterres.
The minister invited the panel members to leverage the UAE’s convening power to connect with stakeholders from around the world and test
new ideas.
Reflecting on the panel’s work, Al Gergawi said, “I am a practitioner. My hope is that this unique group of experts and thought leaders will produce ideas that have impact and are sustainable in the real world. That will be the true measure of our success.”