Participants in this WorkSpace session focused on the consequences, challenges, opportunities and strategic options implied by the three proposed scenarios for the world in 2025 – the Multipolar World, the Hyperlinked World and the Sustainable World. Among the conclusions and recommendations were the following:

Multipolar World
• The Middle East should diversify and better manage its sovereign wealth funds
• There is no reason to fear China’s rise and power
• The Middle East should focus its regional advancement and how to better manage human resources
• The Middle East should balance its alliances and not focus exclusively on its relationship with Asia
• Security institutions should not dominate policy-making in the Middle East. The region should minimize security paranoia and focus instead on economic integration
• The region should ensure that, even as its economies grow, it preserves its cultural identity
• The shift of global power should be an opportunity for renewal of thinking about geopolitical relationships
• The dynamics between government and people are shifting, with civil society or non-state actors gaining strength and voice
• A key issue is defining “multipolarity” and what it means in terms of global power relationships: Is what is developing not in fact a “non-polar” world?

Hyperlinked World
• There is need to overhaul the education sector, focusing on the primary, secondary and vocational levels
• More strategic investment in education is necessary
• The Middle East should reinvent the whole concept of talent management
• The region should focus on developing internship programmes and leadership training
• Improving governance to increase transparency into organizations is critical
• New accountability systems should be put in place
• Institutions based on pluralism should be created to enhance education, culture, and science and technology
• New business models grounded on corporate social responsibility should be promoted
• It is critical to empower people to break barriers and open up society, while paying attention to conflict prevention and resolution
• The question is how the role of government and business leaders might be affected in a hyperlinked world: Will governments have difficulty retaining power? “Governments should have less power and be more susceptible to the demands of the people,” said one participant from Egypt.

Sustainable World
• Efforts should be taken to create a movement (similar to the Scouting movement) to promote environmental education
• Education initiatives should focus on changing people’s behaviour
• It is important to promote a sense of community and to build a new “social contract” on environmental issues
• The key is to make environmental degradation as bad and “uncool” as smoking
• A multistakeholder approach is essential. Public-private partnerships are critical
• R&D initiatives should focus on finding sustainability solutions to address water scarcity and energy security
• Incentives and fiscal policies (taxes) should be used to encourage the active engagement of the private sector
• To get access to markets, you will have to meet certain environmental benchmarks
• The key question: How do you integrate sustainability into business models to achieve profitability?

During the discussion, participants agreed that the Hyperlinked World will promote the Sustainable World. The advent of the Hyperlinked World will empower citizens and civil society organizations to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility. While sustainability may be on the minds of the younger citizens of the Middle East, how can the wider population be brought on board?