CONFERENCE
The World Government Summit brought together global leaders to discuss topics related to governance, artificial intelligence, economic transformation, climate change, and the challenges of resilient cities.
UL researchers participated in several key summit sessions featuring internationally renowned leaders and experts. On February 11, they attended a discussion series with analyst Jon Clifton (Gallup), entrepreneur Enrique Lores (HP Inc.), engineer Arvind Krishna (IBM), and also listened to a speech by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Evika Siliņa. On February 12, they followed a discussion series featuring former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, tech mogul Larry Ellison, entrepreneur and pharmaceutical industry leader Pascal Soriot (AstraZeneca), entrepreneur and fintech expert Sitoyo Lopokoiyit (M-PESA Africa), and technology expert Jared Cohen (Goldman Sachs Global Institute).
On February 13, the researchers attended a presentation by tech billionaire Elon Musk titled "Cities, Artificial Intelligence, and DOGE", a presentation by engineer Billy Thalheimer on "Urban Policy and Mobility Risks", and a talk by disaster management expert Jeffrey Schlegelmilch on "Healthcare Workforce Resilience". On the same day, Dr. Birka and Dr. Klaviņš also participated in a roundtable discussion on the future of urban development, where topics of sustainable development, urban resilience, and governance were explored. Their participation in the discussion is closely linked to their ongoing EU-funded project, "Urban Preparedness for Emerging Risks in the Baltic Sea Region," which aims to assess cities' readiness for various risks in the Baltic Sea region, with a particular focus on Riga, Helsinki, and Hamburg.
According to the two leading researchers, participation in the summit strengthened Latvia’s role in future governance and sustainable development strategies, while also providing the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences of University of Latvia with direct connections to the academic and policy-making community in the United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Birka and Dr. Klaviņš express their deep gratitude to the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Riga for the kind invitation. They also extend their thanks to the Embassy of Latvia in the United Arab Emirates for their support in participating in the World Government Summit sessions and coordinating the events.
For more detailed information about the project and the progress of its implementation, please contact Dr. Ieva Birka (ieva.birka@lu.lv) or Dr. Didzis Kļaviņš (didzis.klavins@lu.lv).
Project title: Urban Preparedness for Emerging Risks in the Baltic Sea Region
Project Contract Number: No. 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/007
Project Grant Agreement Number: LU-BA-PA-2024/1-0051
