His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of the Dubai Future Foundation, officially inaugurated Dubai Future Forum 2024 at the Museum of the Future on 19 November 2024. The two-day event reaffirmed Dubai's position as a global hub for forward-thinking leadership and innovation.
A Global Gathering of Futurists
More than 2,500 participants from approximately 100 countries attended the forum, including policymakers, scholars, organisational leaders, and leading futurists. Over 150 speakers took part in 70 sessions spanning five key themes: Futuring Nature, Empowering Generations, Transforming Humanity, Optimising Health, and Foresight Insights.
Sheikh Hamdan described the significance of the forum: "Dubai Future Forum is a platform that connects future thinkers, scholars, decision-makers and standard-setters. It will determine the information needed to help global societies adapt to change and to capture new opportunities."
Innovation Spotlight: Prototypes for Humanity
Sheikh Hamdan visited the Dubai Future Solutions – Prototypes for Humanity showcase, which presented 100 innovative solutions to global challenges. Supervised by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the programme links academics and students with international innovation hubs.
Partners include Dubai Culture, the Dubai International Financial Centre, and the Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation, which committed AED 100 million to strengthening Dubai's innovation ecosystem.
Empowering Future Leaders
His Highness met graduates from two transformative leadership programmes. The first cohort of 42 graduates from the FEEL: A Disruptive Futures Programme were celebrated alongside the fourth batch of 20 graduates from the Dubai Future Experts Programme, which certifies future experts within Dubai's government in partnership with international foresight institutions.
These initiatives, led by the Dubai Future Foundation, equip leaders with the skills to anticipate and drive change across government and the private sector.
Day One: Workshops and Plenary Sessions
The opening day featured a full programme of plenary discussions and thematic workshops, including the WHO and Museum of Discovery's Shaping Health Futures session, the Future of Life Institute's AI Futures workshop, and ARUP's session on materials and future-making.
The Dubai Future Forum 2024 demonstrates Dubai's enduring commitment to building a more innovative, resilient world. For more information, visit the Dubai Future Foundation.
