At the opening ceremony of the 16th Bosphorus Summit
Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh Addressing World Leaders:
Justice Starts when Knowledge Becomes a Right for all Humanity
ISTANBUL – HE Dr. Talal
Abu-Ghazaleh, founder and chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global Digital
(TAG.GD) and the Honorary
President of the Bosphorus Summit’s Board of Trustees, inaugurated the 16th Bosphorus Summit,
which kicked off in Istanbul under the theme “Global Challenges: Adapting to New Realities”.
The event was held with a wide participation of international personalities,
ministers, ambassadors, and intellectual and economic leaders representing more
than 80 countries and international organizations.
In his opening speech, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh
asserted that the world is experiencing an unprecedented phase of historical
transformation, where humanity is simultaneously confronting eight major
challenges; atop of them is the climate change, which he described as the most
pressing threat to the future of humankind. He went on to recall his experience
in the 1999s when he was assigned by the United Nations to prepare a report on
climate threats, saying: “I submitted my report in 1999, and I still believe that
the world has not realized the magnitude of the looming catastrophe if this
issue continues to be neglected.”
During the two-day event, the Summit addressed
key themes including the global economy, digital transformation, artificial
intelligence, food security, corporate governance, and the future of education
and work amid the accelerating technological revolution.
In his address, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh called for
redefining the concept of power within the international system, where it
should no longer be measured by the economic or military dominance, but rather
by knowledge, science, and human cooperation. He emphasized that global justice
starts when knowledge is recognized as a shared right that empowers all of
humanity.
At the end of the session, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh
announced the distribution of his recently-released book entitled “From the
United Nations to the United People”, available in three languages. In the
book, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh calls for enabling peoples to participate in making international
decisions and policies rather than allowing such decisions to be made behind
closed doors.