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Public policy is ostensibly the star of the show, but regional tensions and the Israel-Gaza conflict will take top billing at this week’s World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh.
Expect some 200 heads of state and government as well as public figures and more than 1k industry leaders to descend on the capital city for a gathering headlined Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development.
Watch public sessions live here or check out the full agenda here.
In context: “The world is today walking a tightrope trying to balance security and prosperity. We meet at a moment where one misjudgment, or one miscalculation, or one miscommunication could further exacerbate our challenges,” said Economy Minister Faisal Alibrahim (watch, runtime: 0:21).
On the agenda: Public policy, climate, energy, finance, and artificial intelligence will dominate the public conversation — but you can expect peace and security to get plenty of attention. WEF President Børge Brende saying at a press conference yesterday that “what we’ve seen is geopolitical recession [that] we have to take very seriously because it can influence also the growth we are seeing now” (watch, runtime: 0:13).
As is often the case at the WEF, it’s what happens on the sidelines that will move the needle on key issues. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in town for the event and Riyadh will play host to a “crisis meeting” of regional and global officials including Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron to talk about Gaza, Bloomberg reports, citing people it says are familiar with the matter.
WEF will separately hold a briefing on Gaza tomorrow featuring the prime ministers of Egypt and Jordan.
Panels to keep your eye on today:
- The presidents of Nigeria and Rwanda, along with Malaysia’s Prime Minister, will share the stage with Alibrahim, IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgiva, and Brende to give their two cents on how “developed and developing economies work together.”
- Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan will join Georgiva to talk about growth models in the face of economic headwinds;
- Communications and IT Minister Abdullah AlSwaha, along with his counterparts from Estonia and Rwanda, will chew over the tradeoffs leaders need to manage when it comes to how AI will impact labor and productivity;
- Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Salman Al Saud, Qatari Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods, Occidental Petroleum CEO Vicki Hollub will discuss the energy transition in emerging markets.
WATCH THIS SPACE- Three WEF-led reports will come out of the event:
- Talent gap in cybersecurity: “There is a shortage of nearly 4 mn cybersecurity professionals worldwide… This paper is intended to serve as a source of reference for public and private decision-makers concerned by the industry workforce shortage.”
- The role of AI in education: “The report stresses the importance of responsible deployment, addressing issues like data privacy and equitable access.”
- Agriculture in emerging markets: “This report aims to highlight emerging tech from a macro agriculture system perspective, from farm planning to consumption.”
AND- An open forum at the Ritz-Carlton will provide a public platform for the debate of topics ranging from digital currencies in the Middle East, AI in business, entrepreneurship, and smart cities.
