In his speech at the opening of the Forum, Dr. Abdulrahman Al Awar said: “The Authority's decision to hold the meeting outside the Federal Government in Umm Al Quwain, comes within the framework of the recommendations of the UAE Government Meetings held last September in Abu Dhabi, where the Authority moderated the Government HR Axis, one of the six related initiatives. Among the recommendations of the Meetings, was the expansion of the HR Club to cover all emirates of the UAE; to maximize the benefit for HR professionals and those interested in the field.

“I would like to thank the Executive Council of the Umm Al Quwain Government for hosting the Forum. I must also praise the progress achieved by the HR Club, which was launched in 2010 as one of the most important strategic initiatives of the Authority. The Club has proven to be an important interactive platform for exchanging knowledge and spreading awareness about human resources among specialists and the public. It is an ideal place where people can meet to share ideas, experiences and solutions that will enhance the role of human resources departments, and other service units in different sectors across the country”.

HE added that the HR Club offers its membership, which has grown to over 12 thousand, an ideal opportunity to learn about the best practices, experiences and success stories of many individuals and institutions, as well as meeting with specialists and practitioners in the field of institutional work.

For his part, HE Humaid Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Umm Al Quwain, thanked the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources for choosing Umm Al Quwain to hold the HR Forum, as well as its support for the Council's efforts in human capital development. “I hope more meetings will be held in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain for the benefit of government officials”, he said.

The Secretary General praised the HR Club, which is considered a pioneering initiative and a platform to highlight the latest and best practices and global solutions in human capital development and encourage the creation of positive work environments. He stressed the importance of the subject being discussed at the Forum as one of the main issues impacting human resources, their skills, opportunities and future directions.

The Forum hosted Professor Alessandro Lantari, lecturer at Hult International Business School and Advisor at the World Economic Forum. The speaker addressed the following topics:  Humans in the future of work and the HR function, Collaborative Intelligence and the new 'Division of Labor: Human skills for the future of work, Leadership and culture challenges for HR in an age of ultra-rapid change.

He said that the success of any organization, regardless of its size and number of employees, depends on a number of factors, the most important of which are (a) compatibility between all components of the institutional work system. This enables the organization to achieve its vision and strategic objectives, as well as maintain its reputation and expand. The lecturer also considered innovation as an important factor for the success of an organization, but that depends on availability of qualified and competent human resources capable of making radical changes in the work environment and services provided to customers.

On the other hand, he stressed the need for readiness by individuals, organizations and governments to receive the tremendous digital and technical development, and to understand how these technologies are used to serve their objectives. “Innovation is essential as a catalyst for growth and change, and human-robot relationships are becoming increasingly important”, he noted

He explained that the world is witnessing rapid changes on more than one level, especially in the field of technology and artificial intelligence, with technology replacing many traditional functions and becoming an integral part of institutional system in the past few years. He argued that even under the growing interest in technologies, artificial intelligence and smart applications, human element remains the main and most important resource for any organization. Technology, despite the many advantages it offers, cannot innovate in the enterprise environment, it is just a tool and a means to help in carrying out the tasks and to complete the procedures and not to develop them.

Lantari called on institutions represented by human resources departments, to keep pace with all changes associated with artificial intelligence and modern technologies, and to prepare, train and train employees to deal with these developments and provide them with the necessary information and skills to harness the new technology for the service of the organization and enhancement of customers’ experience.

He spoke about the most important skills that will be required in the labor market by the year 2020. These included: Digital skills and ability to deal with different technological applications, keeping up with the latest developments in this field, solving complex problems, critical thinking, innovation, as well as management and coordination skills, emotional intelligence, decision-making and negotiating skill.