Reports
The Middle East plays a critical role in our global climate transition. As it carves its own pathway to net zero, it becomes increasingly important to ask two questions: How can the benefits of this radical transition toward net zero be widely shared
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Organizations across the Middle East and North Africa have both an opportunity and a duty to expedite sustainability efforts. Despite nearly 70% claiming integration of sustainability into their business models, merely 3% are progressing satisfactori
Productivity is a catalyst of economic growth, and it underlies the development potential of nations. Boosting productivity creates employment, encourages innovation, and supports the sustainable and equitable development of societies.
Generative AI's impact extends across all industries, transcending boundaries to reshape the way businesses operate.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the urgent need for cities worldwide to become more resilient. Since then, that need has only grown. Urbanization is making city populations swell, and growth is projected to continue in the coming decades.
The future of regenerative medicine and gene therapy holds immense potential for transforming healthcare. As research and technological advancements continue to unfold, we can anticipate significant breakthroughs in this field.
Privatization is a promising strategy for economic growth, enhancing government financial health to attract foreign investments. Embracing ESG principles is crucial for investor confidence, urging governments to establish clear regulations.
Family businesses wield substantial economic influence in the Middle East, holding significant assets and budgets. However, as they pass through generations, maintaining growth, harmony, and direction becomes increasingly challenging due to dilution.
The United Arab Emirates is strategically transitioning from oil and gas dependency to a knowledge-based economy, allocating substantial budgets to education, including programming and emerging technologies.
In an era of technological advancements, global interconnectivity, and evolving societal needs, governments play a fundamental role in maintaining order, enforcing laws, and providing essential services to citizens
The report delves into strategies for countries hosting high-earning expatriate communities to develop and enhance pension systems, thereby encouraging these individuals to remain in the country upon retirement, facilitating the transition from expat
The Arab region is confronted with significant developmental obstacles across various domains. Currently, the urgency to advance towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has become more critical.
The UAE is strategically positioning itself as an AI powerhouse, aligning with its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy 2031. Focused on priority sectors such as technology, healthcare, education, agriculture, logistics, transportation, and ener
Economic diversification drives equitable growth and global resilience. It involves active private sector involvement, government policy reforms, and investments to move away from reliance on limited products. The Global Economic Diversification Inde
As the international community reimagines effective multilateral governance, alternative models of global cooperation become crucial. Security concerns drive the need for new frameworks, emphasizing context-driven coordination in regions like Latin A
This KPMG paper, the Future of Cities and Urban Economic Growth, is published in collaboration with the World Governments Summit. It aims to provide practical advice for city leaders, administrators, and stakeholders engaged in citizen-centric urban
This paper sounds an urgent alarm about the impending climate crisis. Despite brief emissions reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is rapidly approaching a point of no return regarding global warming.
These are some of the takeaways from the discussions at the fifth edition of the Government Services Forum as the panelists deliberated upon taking a human-centered approach to redesign and implement services.
The term ‘government service’ does not necessarily conjure up the most fantastical image in the minds of its ultimate customers – citizens or residents of a particular country. Governments, while providing some of the most essential and critical serv
The modern world is being shaped by extraordinary technological transitions and digital innovation. This remarkable pace of change is being fueled in part through rapid expansion and exponential growth of the digital space.
Digital technology, near unlimited data, increased computing power, expanding communication bandwidth, and the 24/7 online mindset are converging to create a fully digitalized reality that mimics and parallels the analogue ‘real’ world.
In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that around one in eight people globally were living with a mental disorder. Positive mental health is vital to individual and public health, and society in general.
Report equips policy makers around the world with a robust method to assess progress towards economic diversification, and identify areas for policy reform and interventions.
As companies and organizations in all sectors deploy new technologies—including automation and artificial intelligence ensuring this evolution fosters shared, sustainable prosperity will likely hinge on how well societies prepare the workforces of to
The Global Councils on Sustainable Development Goals is a unique interdisciplinary network of decision makers from governments, international organizations, academia, charitable organizations, and the private sector, which work together to oversee in
This report looks at the concept of Health in All Policies (HiAP) and its potential to configure governmental stakeholders to promote population health and health equity in the face of growing, long-term health challenges like non-communicable diseas
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has the potential to become a new cradle of global innovation. The region has the potential to pioneer actions of global significance, including transforming energy into food on a massive scale, and lead
Women’s participation in public and economic life strengthens equitable governance, economic growth, and public trust, from the community level to top policymaking circles.
Amid the unprecedented technological changes around the world, digital transformation occupies a fundamental position in modernizing the government sector. In its second edition, the State of Arab Public Administration Report focuses on government di
The COVID-19 pandemic has driven many public service agencies to increase their investments in digital technologies. Their aim is to become more efficient and flexible and better equipped to handle sudden upswings in demand during times of crisis.
In a volatile cyber world with increasing threats government organizations need to focus on cyber resilience capabilities which allow them to decrease the impact of a successful attach.
How Governments Can Create A More Sustainable Approach To Humanitarian Aid Through Social Enterprise
At FBMI, rather than the model of ‘charity’, the initiative believes firmly in the sustainable aid model. Instead of simply donating resources, whether money or food and other such means of support, FBMI has focused from the beginning on building a l
In this paper, we shed light on select regulatory frameworks and policy measures that would be critical to transition to 5G and position this critical technology as a launchpad for the digital economy.
While the construction of Metaverse projects are currently underway as the next iteration of the internet (or the future of computing), the role social institutions and governments play needs to be clearly defined.
The pandemic has undoubtedly triggered lasting changes when it comes to work. Many workers were part of a forced experiment in remote working that has shifted perceptions about such arrangements. Others found themselves in jobs that required them to
Great expectations: Arab youth’s sustainability priorities is an Economist Impact report that has been supported by the Arab Youth Center. In this report, Economist Impact first explores the climate-related issues Arab youth are most concerned about
Food security is a global priority. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the number of people facing chronic food deprivation reached 828 million in 2021, while over one third of the world’s current food production is wasted.
With more than half the world’s economic output (an estimated US$44 trillion) either highly or moderately dependent on the environment, the consequences of environmental and nature degradation are severe.
Ecosystem services provided by nature are a hugely under-rated asset. Coastal ecosystems in particular provide a wide range of benefits for our planet and humankind – natural capital – which remain undervalued.
The mismatch of people with jobs is a problem that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on labor mobility and unemployment. The ILO estimates global unemployment could increase by 140 million full time jobs.
The Arab region is in dire need for an exceptional initiative that modernizes government administration and brings about radical changes and sustainable reforms.
The use of technology will be a major tool for unlocking the best mix of capability, impact and safety for host cities and nations. Emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies and beyond will enable the transformation of megaevents and p
Based on research and the views of a diverse panel of senior leaders from the public and private sectors that participated in the Government Services Forum, this report outlines several topics. The new frontiers that governments are exploring to deli
Governments around the world are facing increasing pressure to raise the productivity of public-sector entities.
This white paper, initiated and led by the “Emirates Government Service Excellence Program” of the United Arab Emirates, presents a glance at the world’s most impactful dynamics in the domains of technology, economy, and global societal changes.
The GovTech Prize recognize those fearless Governments that exhibit boldness in adopting the latest technologies in their aim to tackle some of the toughest challenges. Through this study, the UAE Prime Minister Office aims to accomplish several key
Societal challenges such as climate change or eroding public trust cannot be solved by new technology tools alone. Rather, they will take new ideas and new technologies working together to improve people’s lives. Government still needs to play an imp
The common denominator of the new sectors emerging from the twin transitions is skills. Countries that are quicker to develop what we have coined their “skills economy”, one where people and technology complement each other to innovate, will have the
In the critical juncture the world has entered, governments face a radically altered landscape of uncertainty featuring challenges and opportunities that are not just unfamiliar, but in many cases structurally novel
Innovative silicon chips and system design will drive the next wave of economic development. However, this innovation is now controlled by the US and a few Asian countries.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined good mental health as “a state of wellbeing in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contrib
The report examines health system transformation from individual patients and citizens to global institutions, identifying changes required for optimal effectiveness and stakeholder buy-in. While challenges are common across most health systems.
The global environment surrounding work and education has been changing rapidly in recent decades. This has created new patterns of work and demands on the education system. Our latest analysis indicates these changes have been accelerated by the rec
As the world faces its post-pandemic future, sectors of the global economy disproportionately affected by the lockdowns, such as cultural industries, will continue to need government support. Our research suggests the cultural sector’s return to grow
The climate situation is rapidly fueling poverty and instability and is likely to increase economic burdens on governments struggling with the management of the pandemic and ever-increasing humanitarian needs.
This report highlights the realization of ‘smart digitalization’ and how it differs across cities. It can range from the adoption of basic automation technologies that facilitate public services to advanced analytics that anticipate challenges in inf
Accenture’s report comes at a very timely moment to understand the current experience of the public sector workforce. Several interviews and research programs took place and covered all levels of seniority across six countries, three levels of govern
It has become apparent that healthcare systems around the world are to a large extent poorly prepared to meet the demands of the populations during times of a healthcare crisis.
The EY Global Information Security Survey (GISS) 2020 highlighted that 60% of organizations have faced a material or significant incident in the past 12 months, and about one-sixth of these attacks came from “hacktivists” (i.e., techenabled, politica
With emerging market governments now facing substantial national budget deficits, the pressure is on to move beyond shoring up businesses for short-term survival to positioning them for sustainable success in the post-COVID economic landscape.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a severe test of the ability of cities to withstand unexpected shocks, and has strained economic, health, social, and urban infrastructures to the limit. Beyond the pandemic, exposure to natural and human-caused hazards
Countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) receive low inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) compared to their global peers. This report explores the underlying reasons for this historical trend ex
Having emerged from one of the most challenging and consequential years in recent history, the world has now entered a year in which the sheer volume and structural depth of change may well prove to be even greater.
The COVID-19 pandemic is having profound economic, social and political impacts across the globe. Its effects are spreading throughout the entire transport sector, and urban mobility is no exception. Public transport agencies, operators and other
Many companies are desperately looking for candidates to fill their increasing job vacancies. Meanwhile hundreds of millions of unemployed, overqualified or under-skilled workers do not, or no longer have, the relevant skillsets required to fulfil sp
The rapid economic growth of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has placed great pressure on resources and has increased the amount of waste and emissions, to the detriment of the region. While GCC countries have started to explore sustainable
The world is awash with data. In the past quarter of a century, smart phones, Wi-Fi, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological marvels have swept the globe, transforming all societies. It is a world of data abundance and immense
This paper assesses the potential impact of quantum computing, detailing expected opportunities and specific risks. It drills down into the technology’s relevance to economic and national security priorities in the Middle East. The paper concludes by
Sustainable development requires the empowerment of women. Women’s empowerment is incomplete without access to health services in every life-stage. While there is no magic pill, the emergence of new technologies makes it possible for developing count
There’s a fundamental societal shift underway—and many governments are missing it. Across a range of markets, consumers increasingly judge product performance by the experience it generates as part of a broader ecosystem. In response, forward-looking
Food security is the most important issue of our time, given the dramatic advance of climate change and increasingly severe weather events as well as population growth, increased urbanization, aging population, changing dietary patterns, and decrease
Governments and Public sector entities around the world are already reaping the rewards of investing in AI technology. From reducing backlogs, cutting costs to predicting fraudulent transactions, AI has the potential to improve public services while
When governments succeed in improving public services and stepping up their performance, the impact can be tremendous. For example, the most satisfied citizens are 9 times more likely than dissatisfied citizens to trust their government. Yet around 8
According to estimates, in five years there will be a shortage of 700,000 people who possess technological skills such as complex data analysis or web development in Germany. There is also predicted to be a skills gap of 10.6 million employees with t
This paper explores a gamut of topics of crucial importance to the public sector in the light of the UAE’s visionary leadership and ambitious initiatives that encompass public safety, enhanced judiciary, a competitive knowledge economy and improved e
In the last decades, many voices raised the issue of human activities' impact on the environment, and signs of Climate Change have since become more devastating and alarming. Many governments, despite their different agenda, agree that Climate Change
Intentional Transformation: Harnessing the Emerging Logic of Accelerated Change The world has entered a period of deepening complexity and an intensifying pace of change that is placing unprecedented adaptive pressure on governments and societies ar
The world is in the midst of an unprecedented technological revolution that is transforming economies, governments and societies in complex and unpredictable ways. This process is fundamentally changing how people live, interact and work, which inev
Today, Digital Technology offers the potential of moving from the traditional automation of existing processes and organizational structures of Social agencies to transformation, i.e. aligning processes, organizational structures, and new technologie
Historically, government agencies provided “off-the shelf services” in a manner that governments deemed fit for their citizens. Over time, competition in the private sector transformed service delivery to be customized, convenient, and centered on th
We are in a new era of exponential learning and the world is transitioning to a cognitive economy. All—organizations, industries, governments, individuals—are learning, interacting in dynamic ecosystems and augmenting intelligence at increasing scale
The award achieved a great success over the previous 5 editions and has seen the quality of submissions improve tremendously. Now, in its 6th edition, the award has continued to evolve and raise its bar as part of the United Arab Emirates’ continuous
Governments, corporations and citizens are increasingly worrying about deliberate acts of mis- or disinformation being used as a weapon. Governments have begun addressing ‘fake news’ through regulation, but whether the problem is rooted in a news, b
Societe Generale has been a pioneer in developing Positive Impact Finance, in which the financing of any activity has a positive impact on one of the three pillars of sustainable development (economy, society, environment) while ensuring that potenti
The world today is undergoing a period of unprecedented change, brought about by global ‘megatrends’ which include changes in demographics, shifts in global economic power, large-scale urbanization, natural resources scarcity and climate change, to n
The 2019 Global Happiness and WellBeing Policy Report is produced by the Global Happiness Council (GHC) and contains papers by expert working groups on happiness for good governance. This report provides evidence and policy recommendations on best pr
Unprecedented change defines today’s world, creating the need for leaders to behavior and respond differently to help their organizations navigate this new, more unpredictable environment. The research findings in this white paper are a combination o
The city is a space of promise and peril, community and individual. For much of human history, cities have been the nexus point for social, cultural, and economic trends. From ancient Athens to Ottoman Istanbul and contemporary San Francisco, cities
The future of service delivery needs to be looked at in the context of the future. It sounds obvious, but don’t design with only today in mind. And be careful not to base your assumptions about future experience needs on an assessment of the current
United Nation eGovernment Survey Regional eGovernment Experts Workshop 2019 & Launch of the Arabic Edition Survey
The World Government Summit 2017, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai, witnessed more than 4,000 global public and private secto
The 2016 edition of the SDGs in Action @ WGS, will take place during the WGS2016, and will look at the role of Science, Technology and Innovation in the supporting the implementation of the SDGs. It will bring together scientists, experts, government
"With the UN General Assembly adopting the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the international spotlight is now on sustainable aspects of national developments towards 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 according targets. Countries’ perform
The Global Economic Outlook report addresses the short and longer-range issues that are shaping – and will shape out to the year 2020 – the global economic and business environment. It also envisions what conditions might serve to lift the current “g
Innovation in government is about new ways to impact the everyday lives of citizens – improving health, educating children, safeguarding the environment, beautifying surroundings, reducing wasted time and resources, ensuring trust and confidence in g
"Governments need to stay abreast of the latest developments in science and technology, both to regulate such activity, and to utilize the new developments in their own service delivery. Yet the pace of change is now so rapid it can be difficult for
"How can a local government build a “smart city”? In exploring these questions, this study provides in-depth analysis of the critical first phase of Dubai’s mega-transformation into a smart city. Dubai’s ultimate objec
"Technological advancements paved the way for Big Data, Mobility, Cloud technologies & Internet of Things (IoT) which are now a pivotal elements transforming how business is conducted in many industries, including government. Whereas numerous gover
Artificial intelligence (AI) is growing increasingly sophisticated, enabling machines to perform some cognitive tasks as well as or better than humans, from assessing a loan application to writing stock performance reports. To stay competitive, busin
The world is changing rapidly. Technology is connecting people within and across national boundaries and disrupting existing assumptions. Mounting public debt is limiting the scope of governments to act in a range of policy areas. Climate change is i
"When scientists, health care providers, entrepreneurs, and other business and management talent consistently leave the country of birth for opportunities abroad, it creates a persistent drag on the home country’s economy and blights its growth. This
"The theory of disruptive innovation, introduced in Harvard Business Review in 1995, has proved to be a powerful way of thinking about innovation-driven growth. Unfortunately, disruption theory is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. D
"Personal technology is ushering in a new era of the “house call-plus”: An emerging philosophy in which smartphone apps, embedded devices, and wearable technology are fundamentally changing how and where medical decisions are made and treatment is re
"The promise of new technologies to transform education by delivering learning that is personalized and engaging for each student has caught the attention of educators, parents, and policymakers. Because all students learn at different paces and hav
"In the coming decade, several factors—an aging population, the rise of Millennials, budget shortfalls, and ballooning entitlement spending—could reshape the way government delivers services. But the introduction of new digital technologies is likely
"Gamification and the Future of Education is a forward-looking report that explores how the mechanics and dynamics commonly found in games can be applied in the educational context to improve educational outcomes. At the core of this report is an imp
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This report is an entry one for city government leaders and politicians. It is not destined for technical people, rather it is meant to become a common ground from which policy makers can take major decisions on the highest level, as to how can Arab
CITIE (City Initiatives for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship) is a resource designed to help city governments develop policy to support innovation and entrepreneurship. It is the product of a partnership between Nesta and Accenture, who ha
The report summarizes global trends and lessons learned in government services in the coming 5 years across areas like Customer experience strategy, Access, Privacy, Technology enablers, Service staff culture, Innovation, Government collaboration and
This study on the digital transformation of government examines how pervasive new technologies that have become commonplace for citizen-customers are poised to transform the way we engage with government. Policy-makers across all levels of gover
In a time of unprecedented global interconnectivity, demographic shifts and socio-political movements, governments are under tremendous pressure to adapt to the changing needs of its populations in agile and efficient ways. Innovations that deliver n
A strategic approach to education and skills policies for the United Arab Emirates This is a report based on series of OECD Skills Strategy diagnostic work that help building economic resilience, boost employment and reinforce social cohesion. It pro
Technological integration and organisational connectivity are transforming the way governments operate. Governments are increasingly accountable and its stakeholders expect public service access anytime, anywhere, anyhow. To effectively deliver on th
This report summarizes the Government 2020 project, the purpose of which is to help leaders from all sectors make sense of the rapidly changing demographic, societal, economic, and technological trends shaping our future. Gov2020 isn’t a crystal ball
Government Summit Coffee Table book comprises a summary of The Government Summit 2015, by documenting the major and the side events of the Government Summit. This book includes a summary of the Third Government Summit proceedings held under the theme
A Special Collection of Harvard Business Review in collaboration with the Government Summit consisting of a number of selected articles, led by a special article by HH Sheikh Mohammaed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Rul
Government Summit Coffee Table book comprises a summary of The Government Summit 2014, by documenting the major and the side events of the Government Summit. This book includes a summary of the second Government Summit proceedings held under the t
The Future of Government Smart Toolbox presented in this report is called “smart”, alluding to the mix of soft and hard power elements that enhance government performance. The operational question the authors attempt to answer is how technology can h
The Index is intended to improve constituents’ quality of life by promoting a citizen-centric view and highlighting what drives satisfaction with digital government services.
The study is a comprehensive effort to assess the maturity and sophistication of digital government in 10 countries (Brazil, Germany, India, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, KSA, UAE, UK, and USA). It follows their pathways to digital excellence and a
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This report aims to improve understanding of public service delivery in the Arab region by providing a broad view of service delivery environments, outputs and enablers; as well as regional challenges and strengths, and the overall quality of public
This report highlights the experience of the public sector in the United Arab Emirates in transforming the traditional culture based on typical procedural and bureaucratic routine to a culture responsive to customer needs
New data show that there is great variation within and between different GCC labour markets. Prepared in collaboration with McKinsey, this report demonstrates that Governments will need to adopt more complex and targeted labour policies and intervent
Impact of Social Media on Public Services in the UAE Federal Government The past years have witnessed a notable increase in government use of social media and its utilization as a tool to engage citizens and stakeholders in the design and delivery of
Prepared in collaboration with Booz & Company and based on detailed analysis and extensive interviews with senior healthcare decision makers in the Arab world, this viewpoint suggests a structured framework and specific areas where PPPs will lead to
Innovate. Scale. Measure. Incent. Prepared in collaboration with Deloitte, This is a review of leading practices in the public sector in the UAE, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and the UK informed by interviews with senior public servants and subject
This report provides details on all the sessions and workshops held during the first Government Summit "Excellence in Government Services”held on 11 – 12 February, 2013 in Dubai under the patronage and presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Ras
Based on a survey of 18400 customers in Abu Dhabi government, this report highlights the importance of developing a deep understanding of the customer’s current experience using a structured methodology that takes into account the different satisfact
This book includes a summary of the first Government Summit proceedings held under the theme "Excellence in Government Services” on 11 – 12 February, 2013 in Dubai under the patronage and presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Serving the Future with Power of Analytics Government entities in the region are facing similar challenges: increased focus on law and order; high incidence of chronic diseases; young population and large expat workforce; unprecedented demands for in
Strengthening public confidence and driving efficiency Vital to the smooth operation of any government entity is gaining the trust of those it is trying to serve. Mobile communications and social media sharing experiences have increased customers’ e
Engaging Citizens and Private Sector in Service Design and Delivery Engaging citizens in service design and delivery is crucial to help Government entities implement their strategy and enable economic development. This study prepared in collaboration
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e-Government for the people Progress in online service delivery continues in most countries around the world. The United Nations E-Government Survey 2012 finds that many have put in place e-government initiatives to further enhance efficiencies and s
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Data-driven innovation: unleashing the power of generative AI
Generative AI's impact extends across all industries, transcending boundaries to reshape the way businesses operate.
Government in 2071 is an initiative launched by the World Government Summit with the vision of preparing governments for the future.
Reflecting on a decade of shaping global governance, the 10th Anniversary Book is a tribute to the transformative insights and groundbreaking ideas that emerged over the World Governments Summit's impactful 10 year history.