A UAE newspaper has said that world attention remained focused on the UAE on Monday and for valuable reasons. "The three-day World Government Summit in Dubai, titled "Shaping Future Governments," under the patronage of Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has taken off in style with highly constructive ideas pouring in from top dignitaries," said The Gulf Today in an editorial on Tuesday. "The thrust of the message from the leaders from all walks of life was for governments across the world to be responsive to their citizens. The biggest announcement came in the form of a new government that will comprise less ministries but more ministers handling national, strategic and dynamic files. As Sheikh Mohammed explained, "We want a young and flexible government that would fulfil our youth's aspirations and achieve our people's ambitions." As expected, Sheikh Mohammed's inspiring interaction with his 10 million social media followers during a live conversation turned out to be a major highlight of the day. The summit in Dubai has attracted more than 3,000 personalities from over 125 countries, and 125 speakers in over 70 sessions. US President Barack Obama addressed the crucial subject of ongoing strife shaking the Middle East ever since the Arab Spring started in 2011. His direct message was that when governments truly invested in their citizens, their education and health, and when universal human rights were upheld, countries were more peaceful, more prosperous and more successful. The most fertile times in the history of civilisations come from a culture of discovery, which was prevalent in the Arab world for centuries over a thousand years ago during the Golden Age of Islam. This powerful message was well put forth by Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. Over two-thirds of all stars have Arabic names and the words algebra, algorithm find their origins in the Arabic word al-jabr. As he put it, if the region had sustained this pace of discovery, it would've produced Nobel Laureates every year. A suggestion by Paul Anderson, who teaches AP science in an American school, on how classroom game design helps improve learning added another constructive element to the session. As per Anderson's view, a classroom should resemble a workshop where one reads, watches videos, works on skills and then applies them to a project to solve problems in the real world. The summit holds great value especially because several priceless reports are being issued in cooperation with knowledge partners from major global scientific research institutions. "If at all anything, the summit goes to show that the UAE values peace and prosperity not only for its citizens and residents, but also beyond, globally," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.
