Dear Excellencies, ministers, ladies, and gentlemen,
it's a great pleasure for me to be here in Dubai and represent the OECD today.
Under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
this summit really has become a major global platform
to discuss how governments can evolve to become
more agile and citizen-centered
and face the challenges of tomorrow.
I would like to thank our UAE host
for having us here at the World Government Summit .
The OECD been a strategic partner for the UAE
in the framework of the summit.
Since 2013,
we have helped to define
the characteristics of the governments of tomorrow,
building on the role of the OECD as a hub for global governance,
but also, on our growing relations with the UAE and the Arab World
through our MENA-OECD Initiative.
It might seem paradoxical, in the face of today's pressing challenges,
to focus on the future.
However, it is precisely because of the scale
and diversity of current challenges
that we must reflect on the future outcomes of today's policy decisions.
Now is the time to think ahead,
now is the time to anticipate,
and now is the time to take action
against the backdrop of slow growth, rock-bottom trust,
high unemployment, and rising inequalities,
in addition to a deteriorating security situation in the region
with millions forced to flee their homes.
At the OECD, we find that future of successful governments
lies in the principles of transparency, accountability, and participation.
And these are clearly not new principles,
but if there's one thing we have learned from 2016,
it is that they are more relevant than ever to help restore trust.
Indeed, open government is essential to better engage the public.
To achieve these ambitious goals,
executives need to reach out to other branches of power,
namely the parliament and judiciary.
And by doing so, they will move from an open government
to an integrated open state approach,
better placed to promote good governance and inclusive growth.
And other key characteristics of successful governments
is their ability to respond to growing complexities
and anticipate potential challenges.
Governments must innovate continuously,
and that's why our Observatory of Public Sector Innovation
partnered with the UAE to conduct a global review of leading-edge trends
in government innovation,
as covered in the report, which was just launched one-hour ago,
namely this Embracing Innovation in Government.
We are going beyond analyzing trends.
We identified key contributing factors and recommendations
that help catalyze innovation.
We also featured case studies
of how countries are adapting to the future.
Mexico City provides, for example, a great example
of a new innovative crowdsourcing experiment called Mapaton.
With one of the largest public bus systems in the world,
and 14 million rides per day,
it had no data on routes, leaving residents to rely on word of mouth.
City leaders, thus, designed a travel game
that relate critical GPS coordinates.
And in two weeks, $15,000 over 4,000 riders
generated enough data to map the bus system.
This is innovation, and governments are embracing it
to transform the way they work.
Excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen,
when we look at inclusiveness for all,
two segments of the populations are key:
namely, youth and women.
They demanded their space during the uprisings,
and we can see that in the countries like Tunisia
great progress has been made for women's rights.
Here, in the MENA region,
where youth has formed the largest cohort for 50 years,
we are seeing an alarming scale of youth unemployment,
the highest in the world.
And young people who express lower levels of trust in government
than their parents.
Yet, Arab youth are more educated and connected than ever,
and they represent one of the biggest assets of the region.
The Arab Youth Forum organized during this summit
is a clear sign of this richness.
The MENA-OECD Ministerial Conference last year
called upon governments to raise their engagement in public life.
This is essential, as numerous studies have shown
the correlation between participation and impact of public policies.
It is only by helping governments think youth,
and ensuring that youth voices are heard,
that young men and women can be empowered to create their own future.
Another untapped potential is women.
Education has made tremendous improvements in MENA countries,
yet, female labor force participation is still very low,
averaging around 22% compared to more than 50%
in OECD counties.
In the UAE, the youth and adult literacy rate
is one of the highest in the region.
And young women outnumbered men by 2.7% in 2015.
While many women are obtaining advanced degrees,
not all of them are entering the workforce
or continuing to pursue their careers.
In it's 2021 vision,
the UAE aspires to achieve social cohesion and happiness.
As outlined in the OECD's 2015 recommendation
on gender equality in public life,
gender balance is an important lever to achieving both.
As such, we have worked closely with the UAE Gender Balance Council
to develop a good practice guide
that will help at once gender balance in the public and private sector.
Excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen,
the role of governments in the end
is about improving well-being,
which should not be restricted to the national level.
Where you live matters.
Subnational governments, including cities and regions,
represent 40% of total public expenditures in OECD countries.
This makes them essential partners for central governments.
Where policymakers and analysts collaborate with local people
to gather well-being data,
citizens have a chance to say what matters most to them.
In Toronto and Santa Monica, for example,
local authorities sought community groups advice
on which well-being dimensions the city should prioritize.
I'm pleased that yesterday, we held a global dialogue for happiness,
reflecting how to put well-being at the heart of policies.
If you want no people left behind,
we need to ensure that no place is left behind.
Excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen,
globalization and its benefits are being increasingly challenged
and populations who feel left out are turning inward.
To address this, the answer must be unequivocal.
Rebuilding trust in institutions;
trust in domestic institutions is crucial,
trust in local institutions is crucial,
and trust in international institutions is crucial, too.
With regards to international organizations,
momentum is high to reflect on enhancing the quality of our actions
to support an inclusive, multilateral, rule-based system and standards.
Excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen,
I look forward to the findings of this summit,
which I'm sure will highlight key elements to take into consideration
for the everyday work of each and every one of us.
The OECD stands ready to work with all of you
in pursuing your endeavors
in shaping the governments of the future.
Thank you.