Prime Minister of Slovenia highlights the necessity to integrate sustainability in our way of life

Dubai-UAE: 15 February, 2017:  On the final day of the fifth World Government Summit (WGS 2017), His Excellency, Miro Cerar, Prime Minister of Slovenia, spoke about the global challenges facing mankind and the rapid social progress we have witnessed. 

In a session entitled ‘Smart and Sustainable Slovenia’, Cera discussed shaping the future of governments worldwide and highlighted the need for a coordinated response in the public and private sector and the necessity to integrate sustainability into people’s way of life, policies and business models.

He said: “The accumulation of advanced scientific knowledge has been the driver of progress in society, it has changed human life. It has also enabled the transfer of ideas, knowledge, goods and people faster than ever. However, it is not clear whether this will bring us to the peak of civilization or accelerate its downfall. It is important for our countries and for the international community as a whole to have a vision and strategy for the future.”

Reiterating the importance of educating today’s youth for ensuring a sustainable future, he said: “We often think that we need to buy apartments, cars and other material things for our children to give them a secure and positive future but we forget that the best way to provide them such future is to be an example with our own positive behavior and work.

“Our youth is truly our future but we must not forget that we are the future for them as well. Living according to true values and being a good example is the best future for youth. The belief that youth are the driving force for our future has been long on the agenda of the United Arab Emirates. With the engagement of young people, the United Arab Emirates is an important example of inclusive work in planning our future.”

Dr. Miro Cerar is a Slovenian lawyer and politician. He was elected Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia by the National Assembly on 25 August, 2014. Until then, he had not been a member of any political party and had not been actively engaged in politics. Before entering politics, Dr. Miro Cerar was a Full Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana, where he lectured on the theory and philosophy of law, comparative law and the ethics of the legal profession. In 1990 and 1991, he took part in drafting the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia and other constitutional independence acts, being the youngest of the participating legal experts. Subsequently, he was a legal advisor on constitutional and other legal matters to the National Assembly for over twenty years; and occasionally also to the ministries, private law offices, institutes, chambers and other institutions. In 2008, as a Fulbright Scholar, he taught comparative constitutional law at the Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, and underwent professional development training at the University of California School of Law in Berkeley. After holding the office of Vice-President of the Judicial Council of the Republic of Slovenia for a year and a half, he became its President during the period from December 2010 to June 2012.

In the period 2000-2014, he was selected as one of the ten most influential Slovenian legal experts thirteen times, and in the period 2011-2014, he was also named the Slovenian legal expert with the greatest reputation four times. Dr Cerar has authored and co-authored numerous Slovenian and foreign expert books and scientific papers. With his popular columns and numerous public appearances, he has established himself as a public opinion leader in Slovenia.

The World Government Summit (WGS) 2017 has drawn the participation of more than 4,000 personalities from 139 countries around the world, reflecting the leading stature of the summit on regional and international levels and the high interest from governments, global organizations, private and public sector entities, decision makers, entrepreneurs, academics and university students as well as scientists and innovators. WGS 2017 features 150 speakers across 114 sessions that highlight the world’s most pressing challenges and showcase best practices and cutting-edge solutions to deal with them.