Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairperson of Frontier25, The Climate Tribe, Aurora50, Alliances for Global Sustainability (AGS), and RESET MENA, took part in key discussions during the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders, held at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.
The World Economic Forum officially appointed Her Highness Sheikha Shamma as the Executive Fellow of the Science, Discovery, and Innovation pillar, recognising Her Highness's role as a global voice on sustainability, climate action, and social impact. The inaugural Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders explored six themes shaping our shared future: AI, technology, and human agency; science, discovery, and innovation; economic growth; geopolitics, security, and trade; leadership, business innovation, and human flourishing; and climate and nature.
Giving the keynote address at the Young Global Leaders opening plenary, Her Highness Sheikha Shamma said: “The vision of our founding father and my great-grandfather, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, looked beyond the boundaries of what existed and towards the potential of what was possible. Together with Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the former ruler of Dubai, they formed a lasting bond and began a journey of unity that continues to this day. Our forefathers recognised that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and their actions put in motion a union that would live on long past their own lifetimes. As leaders in an ever-changing ecosystem, we must also ask ourselves, how can we contribute to a collective legacy of which future generations can be proud?”
Her Highness also took part in closed-door discussions, including ‘Next Generation of Catalytic Leaders: From Values to Stewardship’, convened by the World Economic Forum Global Accelerator for Earth Action to explore whether people and resources can come together around a shared challenge, and what makes that collaboration work in practice. In a further session on ‘Scenarios of the Unknown Future’ participants questioned how we can not only prepare for the risks ahead, but create the future we want.
