February 14, 2018
PM Modi addressed the 6th edition of the World Government Summit in Dubai, where India was the Guest Country of Honour
The multi-party World Government Summit is the primary forum dedicated to shaping the future of governments worldwide
In his address, PM Modi said that technology has empowered the common man via minimum government, maximum governance
More than 9 million Indians work and live in the Gulf region, of which about one third live in the UAE alone, including Dubai
Prime Minister Narendra Modi championed technology as a means of global sustainable development in his address at the sixth World Government Summit (WGS 2018) in Dubai on February 11th. The Indian Prime minister was a chief guest at the event during his visit to three Gulf and West Asian nations – Palestine, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman. In his address, PM Modi said that technology has empowered the common man via minimum government, maximum governance. India has taken proactive measures to boost technology usage in government initiatives and services, thus making them much more efficient. PM Modi, whose Government had launched the Digital India campaign in 2015, added that in e-governance, the ‘e’ represented effective, efficient, easy, empowering and equity.
PM Modi was leading a delegation from India, the guest country at this year’s WGS. The summit is the primary forum dedicated to shaping the future of governments worldwide. The knowledge exchange event had invited experts from a cross-section of fields to discuss and resolve the challenges of the developing world by converging governments, futurism, technology and innovation. The platform also recognises achievements of government bodies and officials in the implementation of crucial reforms and policies. In his address, PM Modi said that while technology has helped transform nations such as the UAE from a desert into a modern wonder, it also has a darker side of radicalisation of cyberspace. Other topics discussed at the event included climate change, economic growth and labour laws.
Other leading guests at the sixth edition of the summit included Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Roberto Azevêdo, Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime Minister of the UAE. At the summit, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in collaboration with the World Bank and its sister organisation, the International Finance Corporation, launched the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi). The We-Fi aims to raise more than US$1 billion in financing to support female-led Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world. The UAE and India currently have cooperation in all major spheres, including economy, energy, technology and security.