![](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/04\/16633802875_0a4d3e5f49_o.jpg?w=738\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Melissa Jun Rowley<\/span> Contributor<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Melissa Jun Rowley is a journalist, entrepreneur and activist focused on the intersection of storytelling, technology and social justice. As the founder and CEO of Humanise, Inc.<\/a>, she is developing The Toolbox<\/a>, a data-driven humanitarian initiative created by musician Peter Gabriel.<\/p>\n In the novel Desperate in Dubai<\/a>, Ameera Al Hakawati wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDubai is\u2026 after all, a lonely, transitory place. It\u2019s hard to maintain relationships when people are always coming and going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Two years ago, during my first time in Dubai, I agreed. After attending a UN conference there, admiring the city\u2019s glittering, intergalactic architecture, visiting the Gold Souk, and then riding a camel for 30 seconds in the desert, I felt myself searching for something beyond the glamour and sand.<\/span><\/p>\n Given that Dubai\u2019s combined expat and migrant worker population is 92% of the total number of people living in the city-state, I expected to experience a city deeply rich in diversity beneath its \u201cskyline on crack\u201d<\/a>. But instead I\u00a0sensed a society filled with dichotomies and devoid of identity.<\/span><\/p>\n During my second visit in February, I felt a shift in the city\u2019s energy and a glimmer of community, largely due to its burgeoning innovation economy. With Dubai making efforts to be the first city fully on blockchain<\/a> and programs like Dubai Future Accelerators<\/a> and Accenture\u2019s FinTech Hive grabbing attention, the city\u2019s tech sector is reaching new heights. And with Smart Dubai<\/a> and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, prioritizing happiness as part of a citywide transformation, the urban desert is cultivating its own modern renaissance for its citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n As for the non-citizens, I\u2019m not so sure. Given the ongoing controversy over the years around the treatment of Dubai\u2019s migrant workers, some activists are questioning whether or not a happiness renaissance will be inclusive or strictly for the affluent and privileged.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n According to the Human Rights Watch World Report 2016<\/a>,\u00a0low-paid migrant workers in Dubai and throughout the UAE have been subjected to abuses that constitute forced labor, while building the country\u2019s magnificent skyscrapers. A number of migrant worker\u2019s, who are predominantly Southeast Asian and live in slums, reportedly earn as little as<\/a><\/span> AED 700 (\u00a3127) a month<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Who will Dubai\u2019s happiness agenda include? Only time and data will tell.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The World Government Summit<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In February, happiness was a key initiative discussed at the fifth annual World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai, where 4,000 people from 139 countries representing governments, academia and the private sector, gathered to dive into global challenges including climate change, health, education and the rise of populism.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, there wasn\u2019t too much talk of Trump\u2019s America. Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of buzz about Elon Musk\u2019s musings on society\u2019s need for a universal income<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Like most government and business focused conferences, there weren\u2019t many women speakers<\/a>, an issue I hope similar Dubai events address in the future if the city intends to create a culture rooted in happiness. We\u2019ll see if having a woman overseeing the happiness agenda makes a difference. Ohood Al Roumi<\/a> was appointed as Minster of State for Happiness a few days before WGS began.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Overall, the role of technology and science in addressing some of the world\u2019s toughest problems was a central theme.<\/span><\/p>\n Health & Technology<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n While there was no shortage of nations represented at the event, the UAE and Dubai were (unsurprisingly) in the spotlight. A panel of health experts said the UAE is poised to be the health capital of the world, thanks to its investment in new\u00a0technology. According to the Future of Health Index 2016<\/a>, which measured the readiness of citizens in 13 countries to deal with new models of healthcare delivery and treatment, the UAE ranked first.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth noting that the definition of health capital is subjective. If you\u2019re looking at healthcare affordability<\/a> Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica and Malaysia register with top grades.<\/span><\/p>\n As far as health tech goes however, the participants at WGS say the UAE can\u2019t be beat. While making this argument, Arjen Radder, CEO of Phillips (Middle East and Turkey), discussed a new invention called the bio-center that patients can attach to their to chests to measure eight different vital signs, allowing doctors to monitor their levels remotely. Later, Dr. Shamsheer Vayayalil, founder and managing director of the multi-specialty Dubai-based hospital,\u00a0VPS Healthcare<\/a>, spoke about how he\u2019s aiming to turn the healthcare sector into more of a wellness sector, and leveraging technology to see a shift from \u201cbreak-and-fix\u201d to \u201cpredict-and-prevent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Future of Climate Change & Technology<\/strong><\/p>\nMore posts by this contributor:\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/09\/dubai-sun.jpg?w=632&h=474\")
<\/p>\n