By Hermoine Macura-Noble
Special to The Times Kuwait
The Global Citizen Forum 2021 ‘The Future in Motion’ — A New Momentum for Human Mobility, concluded today at the Al Hamra International Exhibition & Conference Centre along the striking backdrop of Ras Al Khaimah Sea. The forum gathered world leaders, activists, artists and supermodels with the aim to spark key conversations and unlock opportunities in global citizenship for the generations to come.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and in partnership with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the Forum is a bi-annual event curated by Arton Capital.
The Global Citizen Forum welcomed onto the stage many inspiring speakers including H.E. Jewel Taylor, Vice President, Liberia, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism in Jamaica; Matteo Renzi, former Prime Minister of Italy, Gwen Hines, CEO at Save The Children UK; Christopher Voss, author, former FBI hostage negotiator; Halima Aden, professional model & philanthropist; Emi Mahmoud, poet & UNHCR Ambassador and many more.
Welcoming global citizens to The Future in Motion, Armand Arton, Founder of the Global Citizen Forum said, “We are living through an unprecedent period of human history. Of course, some say the world has seen worse pandemics, wars, natural disasters, and crises. But dear friends, we have reached a crucial crossroad in human evolution, and we must make some important choices together. Not only for ourselves, but also for the next generation.”
With sustainability playing an important role in the future of mobility, the Global Citizen Forum served as an ideal platform to launch the official Pledge to Make Ras Al Khaimah the Regional Leader in Sustainable Tourism by 2025.
Commenting on the signing, Raki Phillips, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority, said: “We have taken an important step towards a more sustainable future for Ras Al Khaimah. As government and tourism stakeholders collectively pledge to work together to establish Ras Al Khaimah as a regional leader in sustainable tourism by 2025, we are also signaling those environmental considerations are necessary for long term investment and hospitality development in a destination.”
As one of the most culturally rich and diverse global annual gatherings, Global Citizen Forum summit welcomed more than 400 guests from over 32 countries around the world and witnessed important conversations on the many global challenges at the forefront of global mobility, while highlighting the importance of human mobility in a pandemic and post-pandemic context.
The Global Citizen Forum is a Canadian non-profit organization driven by a global community of leaders and catalyzers unlocking the potential of global citizenship. Through a series of curated events and experiences, GCF’s membership-based community gathers from across the globe for their Annual Summit to bridge dialogue with action for traceable, transparent and measurable impact.
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.
