UAE takes Middle East's biggest team to WEF

A banner of the World Economic Forum is seen in front of the congress centre in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, Switzerland.

The UAE will have the largest participation at the World Economic Forum among Middle Eastern countries.

According to the World Economic Forum, 65 people - 55 men and 10 women - from the UAE are among attendees at the invitation-only event held annually in Davos, Switzerland.

The UAE's participation will also be the 11th largest among global countries.

The UAE delegation includes Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future; Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy; Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs; Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation; Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry; Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development; Jameela bint Salem Mesbeh Al Muheiri, Minister of State for Public Education; Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security; Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences; and Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, as well as other notable figures in the UAE's public and private sectors.

On the sidelines of the conference, Al Gergawi and Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF, will sign an agreement to set up a centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the UAE to provide technical support to government authorities.

More than 3,000 participants - 21 per cent women - from more than 110 countries will attend. From the Middle East, 231 participants will attend the Forum with 195 men and 36 women.

This year's top attendees will come from the US (780), UK (266), Switzerland (233), India (129), China (118), Germany (116), France (93), Japan (89), Russia (67), the UAE (65) and Netherlands (65).

Set to take place from January 23 to 26, the Forum is attended by the world's top personalities.

Overall, the annual meeting will feature over 340 top political leaders with 10 heads of state and government from Africa, nine from the Middle East and North Africa and six from Latin America.

This year's opening address will be delivered by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni and British PM Theresa May, among others.

- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com