Dubai, UAE
The Young Global Leaders (YGL) Summit 2023 organized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the Government of UAE concludes in Dubai.
The Summit brought together 500 Young Global Leaders, or YGLs, from across the world representing some of the leading organizations across sectors as well the government and academia. The Conference was inaugurated by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and a newly-minted Young Global Leader himself.
Each year, the Forum of Young Global Leaders identifies the world’s most influential leaders under the age of 40 driving innovation for positive change across civil society, arts, culture, government and business. Since its establishment in 2004, the Forum of Young Global Leaders has cultivated a diverse community of outstanding people addressing the world’s most pressing problems.
Dr Faisal Khan was nominated as a YGL from Pakistan in 2019. ‘This is a community of an eclectic group of some very inspiring young leaders from all over the world who are keen to share, learn and inspire. You could be bouncing off your next big idea for some trusted and unvarnished feedback or seeking help with navigating a challenge at work. Or you could simply be having fun together and getting inspired in so many ways, said Dr Faisal Khan, who leads the federally-funded Precision Medicine Lab in Peshawar.
Dr Khan’s talk titled ‘the coming synthetic biology boom’ aimed at introducing the new field to his peers and laying out challenges and opportunities that he foresees based on his decade-long work in an emerging economy like Pakistan.
The YGL Summit was preceded by the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils which brings together council members from 30 different Councils that are working on a wide range of topics from artificial intelligence and responsible investing, to circular economy and synthetic biology, with an aim to sharpen collective foresight and shaping a better future.
The Global Future Councils, or GFCs, bring together experts and thought leaders making the world’s foremost multi-stakeholder knowledge and insight network on frontier issues. Dr Faisal Khan has been a member of the Global Future Council on Synthetic Biology since its inception in 2021.
‘The next chatGPT moment is set to come from the fast-developing field of Synthetic Biology. The question becomes who is ahead on this technological curve and who is losing out. I have been really passionate about how we can enhance global participation so countries like Pakistan can also seize the opportunity by participating in the development of the technology as well as its applications, said Dr Faisal Khan.
