Global economic trends were at the top of the agenda at this year’s World Economic Forum. Held in Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah from November 9 until November 11, the summit brought together some of the world’s most notable leaders in the business and economic realm.
Majid Jafar at World Economic Forum
A panel discussion on global trends in 2015 offered a wide variety of perspectives from WEF’s Global Knowledge Networks. Included on the panel were Kuwaiti government minister Rola A. Dashti; CEO of Crescent Petroleum Majid Jafar; Kevin Rudd, former prime minister of Australia; Adam Posen, President of the Peterson Institute for International Economics; and Amina Mohammed, Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning at the United Nations.
Majid Jafar, who also the vice-chairman of the WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Youth Unemployment as well as CEO of Crescent Petroleum, said that:
“On the one hand the government asked the private sector to create jobs, but if the governments are rising salaries or hiring more, the two are actually at odds.”
He added that it is necessary that there be collective action between governments and the private sector.
Amina Mohammed and Rola Dashti agreed that one thing the world is in dire need of is quality education, stating that regional countries are today living through a culture of credentials, but not of knowledge. Adam Posen focused his words on the problem and challenge of regional economies integrating into the global economic marketplace.
The annual summit addressed about 80 issues of international concern, bringing together over 1000 delegates and world leaders such as Al Gore, Gordon Brown and Jose Manuel Barroso.