Youth meets experience at AMGFL in Dubai. Here's what to expect from the Annual Meeting of the Global Future Leaders

This month, hundreds of emerging voices and established leaders will gather in Dubai for a first-of-its-kind event: The Annual Meeting of the Global Future Leaders (AMGFL).

Held in collaboration with the Government of the United Arab Emirates, the meeting is designed to surface new ideas and solutions to tackle the world’s biggest challenges and serve as a recurring global platform for how intergenerational dialogue can shape the future.

AMGFL will be co-chaired by five leaders in a range of disciplines: H.E. Mr Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro; H.E. Ms Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future of the United Arab Emirates; Dr Fadel Adib, Professor and Entrepreneur, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States; Dr Mirjam Staub-Bisang, Chair and Senior Advisor, BlackRock Asset Management Switzerland; and Khalfan Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Future Foundation, United Arab Emirates.

Artificial intelligence is transforming how people work and create. Scientific breakthroughs are expanding what is possible. Economic models are being tested by demographic and technological change. Geopolitical uncertainty is reshaping trade and security. Climate and nature pressures are altering communities and economies. And amid all of this, expectations of leadership itself are changing.

These shifts are deeply interconnected, but they are unfolding at different speeds. That creates a central challenge for leaders: how do you make decisions today when the conditions shaping tomorrow are changing so quickly?

The Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders is designed around six interconnected themes that speak to this challenge: artificial intelligence, technology and human agency; science, discovery and innovation; economics; geopolitics, security and history; leadership and human flourishing; and climate and nature.

Across sessions, the programme will focus on:

Event participants will share insights and expertise and discuss what’s needed to drive progress towards more resilient, inclusive and sustainable societies.

The conversation will also extend beyond Dubai. AMGFL is designed as a recurring global platform for intergenerational dialogue and foresight, with insights and collaborations from the meeting feeding into the Forum’s year-round work.

This will include a forthcoming Future Leaders Outlook, synthesizing emerging signals and perspectives from the meeting; new Youth Pulse insights on how young people see the world and where they see opportunity; the Alliance for Future Generations, bringing companies and young leaders together to strengthen pathways into the economy as technology reshapes work; and an Agentic AI Challenge, mobilizing young leaders to explore where emerging AI capabilities could create public value and improve urban life, while considering the safeguards needed for responsible use.

More than 600 leaders will attend the gathering, including more than 200 CEOs and chairs, alongside ministers, scientists, entrepreneurs, technologists, policymakers, leaders from civil society, and 50 young changemakers from around the world.

The Meeting will also include delegations from two World Economic Forum communities:

Together, these communities bring perspectives rooted in different generations, geographies and sectors, helping connect local experience with global decision-making.

Follow along on social media using the hashtag #AMGFL26

AMGFL will feature nine public sessions exploring some of the defining questions of the next decade: from trust in agentic AI, to the future of trade, economic uncertainty, fairness, youth perspectives and scientific discovery. Visit the event’s landing page to watch these sessions live.