More than 4,000 people from 190 countries finally descended on Dubai for the World Government Summit (WGS), which had been postponed twice owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The summit, running under the theme, ‘Shaping Future Governments’, will include some 110 sessions as well as publication of up to 20 knowledge reports on key trends and challenges around governance.
While the progress in the fight against Covid-19 has allowed for the forum to be convened, nonetheless it takes place under the shadow of a pandemic that has claimed millions of lives and devastated livelihoods and economies around the world.
Addressing delegates on Wednesday, March 30, Rwanda’s Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente underscored that efforts to recover from the Covid-19 crisis must be underpinned by multilateralism and collaboration between governments, private sector, civil society and international organisations.
International cooperation and multilateralism have been at the heart of the global response to the pandemic and will continue to be an important ingredient in recovery efforts.
One of the lessons from the last two years battling the pandemic is that all nations and peoples of the world are interconnected and no nation or organisation can overcome challenges of such magnitude alone.
This, indeed, calls for continued collaborations and partnerships in not only supporting one another in ongoing vaccination efforts and economic recovery but also in building more resilient healthcare systems and economies.
It’s only through working together that nations around the world can remain on track in recovery efforts and emerge from this global crisis stronger.
That’s why partnerships like ongoing collaboration between western pharmaceutical firms and some African countries to locally produce vaccines (including the deal between Rwanda and German Biotechnology company BioNTech) are hugely significant.
The meeting in Dubai, therefore, should serve as an opportunity for governments, multilateral organisations, the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to stronger international partnerships in dealing with the current pandemic, accelerating economic recovery and building resilience and preparedness for any future public health emergencies.