13th November, 2021: On the sidelines of their participation in the 'Great Narrative Meeting', organized by the UAE government in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), a group of global though leaders, experts and specialists stressed the importance of promoting global cooperation between governments worldwide for the good of humanity and to overcome future challenges. Global efforts should focus on consolidating the principles of partnership and employing modern technologies to explore and present new opportunities in various sectors.

 

Sadhguru: The most pressing challenge is soil extinction

Within his participation in the meeting, Sadhguru, Founder of Isha Foundation, stated that “The greatest challenge, I would say, is ecological. In this ecological narrative, the most important and most dreadful challenge that we have is soil extinction; that soil is becoming extinct. Every responsible scientist is telling us that we have soil enough sonly for another 80,200 crops. This means 45 to 60 years.”

 

Michio Kaku: The greatest challenge is survival

Michio Kaku, Theoretical Physicist and Futurist at City College of New York, said: “The greatest challenge is survival, because for all the technology that we have we realize it could boomerang back on us. The first challenge is global warming. The earth is heating up and we think a lot of it is due to human activity.”

 

Jagjit Singh Srai: Access to technology and education is vital

Jagjit Singh Srai, Head of the Centre for International Manufacturing University of Cambridge, stated that, “Communities who don’t feel part of the previous wave of the fourth industrial revolution are the challenge. They feel like excluded and I think we need to make technology, education, and access as available to as many people as possible.”

 

Landry Signé: Agile governance is the answer 

Landry Signé, Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development Programme and Africa Growth Initiative, added that, “The main challenge is how to involve numerous actors and various stakeholders in developing any sector, whether in the public sector, the private sector, or citizens. Agile governance will definitely be a solution if we want to create a better future.”

 

Great Future Narratives

The Great Narrative Meeting hosted a number of interactive sessions and intensive workshops with the participation of global thought leaders, scholars, experts, and UAE ministers, who discussed designing future trends in vital, future, human-centered sectors.

Participants discussed designing future trends while studying how they can be reflected on global policies. The workshops focused on building future narratives, exploring alternatives and directions for developing a common future and launching an effective global action to face global challenges.