Our World Government Summit Experience: How one decision can expand our horizons
As it was highlighted during our welcome event in London, being a ‘Chevener’ is more than being the recipient of a scholarship, it is the bridge to expand our horizons and explore other dimensions of our lives.
Diego and I (Eliana), Cheveners from Mexico and Colombia respectively, are undertaking our second term of the MPA Science, Engineering and Public Policy at University College London (UCL) where, three months ago, we were honoured with an invitation from the Prime Minister’s Office of Dubai to join the World Government Summit as part of the cohort which would represent UCL at this prestigious event.
Finally the date arrived and, from 11 to 14 February, we lived one of the most exciting, fulfilling, and almost surreal experiences of our lives.
The World Government Summit (WGS) is an annual, global event taking place in Dubai and serves as a platform for global dialogue attempting to revolutionise how governments operate and how policies are made. The organisation’s vision is to aid humanity at large, it aims to empower governments for the future with the ultimate objective of improving the lives of seven billion people all around the world.
This year, UCL’s cohort participated in the conferences held at the summit, which included speeches from South African entrepreneur Elon Musk, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and many, many more. Additionally, our group also participated in the first edition of the University Challenge on Shaping Future Governments and competed against the most prestigious universities in the world.
Some members of our group also actively contributed to the discussion groups that worked on the ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in action’, where Dubai’s government, in collaboration with the United Nations, the World Bank, and the UN Foundation, brought together stakeholders from around the world to look at the key challenges facing the implementation of the goals and to identify potential solutions to those challenges. My colleague and friend Diego was even elected to represent the cluster that worked on the First SDG of ‘no poverty’. He delivered a powerful pitch for the of the SDG cluster’s idea to a panel of experts that included ambassadors and ministers, as well as large audience which attended the presentation.
In summary, the WGS was one of the most thrilling and important opportunities that us, as Cheveners, have experienced. Being part of such a platform where we interacted with outstanding leaders from different governments, technology, and innovation companies, and multilateral organisations, has become one of the most important parts of our Chevening journey. The experience has left us with a number of lessons for the future of the world and the global challenges ahead.