UAE, WEF to co-launch center for "4th industrial revolution"

DUBAI, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will co-launch with the World Economic Forum (WEF) a center for the fourth industrial revolution in the UAE, Emirati state news agency WAM reported on Sunday.

Mohammad Al-Gergawi, the UAE minister of cabinet affairs and the future, will sign the deal with Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF during its annual forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The new center will aim at providing technical support to government authorities in the field of "transforming the industrial revolution principles into real applications," according to WAM.

Al-Gergawi and Schwab will also sign a cooperation agreement concerning the fourth industrial revolution protocol that would emphasize building a legal and organizational framework for the governance of information.

This agreement will relate "to the various sectors of the industrial change which includes artificial intelligence, robotics, internet of things, drones and autonomous vehicles," said the report.

The signing of both agreements is in accordance with the framework of UAE directives and the vision of its government to adopt innovative directions for the future government that represents the fourth industrial revolution.

In April 2017, the UAE emirate of Dubai launched the Smart Dubai 2021 e-governance scheme with the objective to eliminate all paper works at government institutions as of 2021. Dubai also introduced the world's first real-life robot cop in the sheikhdom which entered public service in May last year.

The upcoming WEF to be held at the Davos Resort, Switzerland from Jan. 23 to Jan. 26 will focus on the theme "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World." Some 70 presidents and prime ministers, along with 340 politicians and officials have announced their participation. Enditem