(MENAFN- Mid-East Info) Børge Brende: This universal challenge necessitates unprecedented collaboration, even in a fragmented world.

• Khalfan Belhoul: There is no other approach that is more reasonable than what has been mentioned here, which is having joint conversations with like-minded individuals, leaders, and entities.
• Cina Lawson: The core value of the Annual Meeting lies in the opportunity to sit down with people who have done it before, who have done it differently.
• Neal Jetton: The World Economic Forum is more than a once-a-year meeting, but a deep, operational partnership.

Dubai, UAE -October 2025 – A panel of global leaders and experts identified cybersecurity as a critical global priority, during a special press conference held during the Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity 2025, taking place on 14-16 October in Dubai.

The event is organised by the UAE Government in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), bringing together more than 700 experts and specialists from 93 countries in 37 Councils.

The press conference sought to provide an update on the key themes and outcomes of the event, as well as insights into the agenda and major announcements. Participants called for international cooperation to seize opportunities and mitigate the threats of rapid technological advancement.

Moderated by Yann Zopf, Head of Media and Member of the Executive Committee at WEF, the conference brought together WEF's President and CEO Børge Brende; Neal Jetton, Director of the Cybercrime Directorate at the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL); Cina Lawson, Minister of Digital Economy and Transformation of Togo; and Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Future Foundation.

Børge Brende reiterated that the Annual Meeting is taking place amidst the most complex geopolitical backdrop in decades, while simultaneously highlighting the resilience of the global economy, which is still projected to grow by 3% this year – largely driven by new economic sectors, moving from traditional trade to frontier technologies.

“We expect investments of USD500 billion in artificial intelligence this year alone. AI can increase productivity by 10% in the next decade, but it is also going to change a lot of jobs and increase competition between countries,” Brende revealed, issuing a stark warning on cybercrime as expert estimate annual global losses of up to USD2-3 trillion – nearly 3% of global GDP.

“This universal challenge necessitates unprecedented collaboration, even in a fragmented world,” the WEF President and CEO stressed.“Cybercrime is stealing money from people. All nations should agree that we should fight it together. We need plurilateral forums for countries and companies that are willing to get together and form alliances of the willing.”

Khalfan Belhoul expanded on the theme, stressing that the need for dialogue is now more important than ever due to the borderless nature of the digital and AI-driven economy, praising the deep strategic partnership between the UAE and WEF as a notable example of that.

The Dubai Future Foundation CEO reflected on the best ways to regulate rapidly advancing technologies where with the press of a button, you can have customers all around the world. Continuing on to AI, Belhoul said:“This is something we can create so much value from. There is, of course, a question mark on how we actually do that. I think there is no other approach that is more reasonable than what has been mentioned here, which is really having joint conversations with like-minded individuals, leaders, and entities to come up with those solutions.”

“For us at the Dubai Future Foundation, the idea is to try and extract those conversations, convert them into tangible outcomes, action plans, and guidelines that can really help us create a positive pathway,” he concluded.

For her part, Minister Sina Lawson highlighted the practical value of the councils for developing nations. As co-chair of the Council on GovTech and Digital Public Infrastructure, she shared Togo's success in deploying a mobile payment platform during the COVID-19 pandemic to deliver financial aid to vulnerable citizens.

“We built a bit of experience with regards to that,” she stated, emphasising her goal to expand her country's digital backbone with new infrastructure for identity and data exchange. For Minister Lawson, the core value of the Annual Meeting lies in the opportunity to“sit down with people who have done it before, who have done it differently,” to gain immense practical insight into national projects.

Furthermore, Lawson praised the event's cross-disciplinary environment for enabling vital discussions on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, ensuring international cooperation is integrated into national digital strategies.

Bringing the critical law enforcement perspective to the forefront, Neal Jetton highlighted the stark resource disparities INTERPOL faces across its member countries, all of whom consistently point to cybercrime as the number one issue.

Citing a staggering projected 142% increase in global cybersecurity losses in the next couple of years, Jetton framed the meeting as an essential opportunity to connect with experts from the private sector, government, and academia to address challenges.“I get asked questions about quantum computing, AI, or all this emerging tech,” he said.“We do have people at INTERPOL working on that, but as far as my team goes, we do not have those experts embedded, however here at the World Economic Forum, you do.”

Jetton reframed the World Economic Forum as more than a once-a-year meeting, but as a deep, operational partnership.“The World Economic Forum really is a partnership,” he confirmed.“For the past several years, we have been partnered with Forum, where they have actually provided training and support to our operations.”

The Annual Meetings of the Global Future Councils and Cybersecurity 2025 cover six broad themes: Technology, Economy, Society, Environment, Governance, and Health. This year marks the first time the Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity is held concurrently with the Global Future Councils, setting a new milestone in the partnership between the UAE Government and the World Economic Forum, during which nearly 900 Global Future Councils have been held, engaging more than 12,000 officials and experts from around the world.

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