His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai will enter into a dialogue with his over ten million followers on social media as the World Government Summit begins today.

Shaikh Mohammed has tweeted that he will be holding a conversation entitled 'Dialogue of the Future' and answer to the questions which cover a variety of topics at 6:30pm.

Meanwhile US President Barack Obama will deliver the televised inaugural address of the three-day summit which brings together over 3000 dignitaries from 125 countries including heads of state and high-level representatives of international organisations including the United Nations and World Bank.Another first-day highlight will be the "Emirates Innovative Teacher" award in which Dh1 million will be given to a teacher who has made significant contributions to the teaching profession in the UAE.

Besides Obama the keynote speakers on the first day will include Jim Yong Kim President of the World Bank Group and Jose Angel Gurria Secretary-General of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

The summit being held under the theme 'Shaping Future Governments' will address eight main issues: education healthcare government action science innovation and technology economy labour market and human capital management development and sustainability and the cities of the future.

Prof Jim Al Khalili Physics professor at Surrey University will discuss the Arab world's contributions to science and the challenges faced by the region today at the main session entitled 'When the World Spoke Arabic: The Forgotten Scientific Heritage of the Arab Civilisation.

In the second session lecturer and interlocutor Dr Neil Degrasse Tyson will discuss how today's scientific research will shape tomorrow's technology.

The third session hosted by futurist Peter Schwarz Senior Vice-President and Senior VP for Strategic Planning at Salesforce will deal with how governments can adequately prepare for unanticipated events in the future.

The fourth session will be a debate between Siemens President Joe Kaeser and Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) Managing Director and CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer on clean energy innovation.

In the fifth session Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al Arabi and Gulf Corporation Council Secretary-General Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani will participate in a forum entitled "Preparing the Future: Five Things that Arab Governments Should Address Now".

Today's sessions will conclude with a debate on how 3D printing will influence the future. Additionally the summit will include a number of interactive lectures.

A number of topics will be discussed in today's lectures. Jennifer Pahlka - Founder and Executive Director of Code for America - for example will discuss computer programming as the "language of the future" and its vital importance in school curricula.

Another lecture conducted by physicist Derek Muller the director and owner of Veritasium will highlight the role played by social media in the future of education in an increasingly-connected world.

The second and third days of the summit will also see awards given to the "Best Minister in the World" and to the "Best Mobile Government Services."