Minister of Economic Affairs Coordination, Airlangga Hartarto, attended the World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on April 28-29, 2024. The two-day event convened over a thousand global leaders and experts from various sectors, including government officials, academics, business leaders, philanthropists, international financial institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to address critical global issues. Key topics discussed included enhancing global economic cooperation, energy transition, workforce, regional cooperation, and digitalization, all aimed at fostering inclusive economic growth. The WEF meeting focused on three themes: firstly, "A Compact for Inclusive Growth," delving into the impacts of recent transformations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital economic developments, human development index deficits, disparities, poverty amidst innovation, human resources, and entrepreneurship.
Secondly, "Catalyzing Action on Energy for Development," aimed to identify financial, technological, and policy solutions to increase clean energy usage as a tool for equitable development. Thirdly, "Revitalizing Global Collaboration," aimed at strengthening humanitarian mission initiatives, including potential cooperation and collective actions to mitigate current geopolitical escalations. Minister Airlangga was scheduled as a panelist for the session on "Labour Market for the Next Generation," and delivered opening remarks at the strategic dialogue between governments and experts from ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. He participated alongside Nigeria's Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Anite; CEO of Crescent Enterprises, UAE, and Young Global Leader, Badr Jafar; Founder and Chairman of DAMAC International UAE, Hussain Sajwani; and Vice Chairman of Global Public Sector Citi, Jay Collins. In the "Joint Regional Strategy Dialogue: ASEAN-GCC" session, Minister Airlangga, along with Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Anwar Ibrahim, delivered opening remarks. These sessions were crucial as they not only discussed demographic growth and technological advancements but also explored collaboration potentials between regions and countries. ASEAN and GCC, being developing blocs, are anticipated to emerge as new economic powerhouses in the future.
