The UAE and Finland brought senior government officials and experts together in Helsinki to share experience in government development, from artificial intelligence to cybersecurity.
The Government Experience Exchange Forum was held under the partnership between the two countries and a memorandum of understanding signed in March 2025. Discussions covered digital transformation, education, transport and logistics, and government agility, with a focus on joint initiatives that can be implemented and scaled.
Finland's Minister of Local and Regional Government, Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, said deeper cooperation helps both countries implement AI innovations safely and effectively across the public sector. She added that it supports proactive, trusted and future-ready public services.
Mohamed bin Taliah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Government Experience Exchange, said such forums let governments draw on diverse experiences to develop practical and scalable solutions. UAE Ambassador to Finland Amna Fikri described the memorandum as the basis for future cooperation.
Panels and workshops spanned six fields: government services and digitalisation, education, transport, aviation and logistics, municipal cooperation, cybersecurity, and zero-carbon built environment.
In one session, Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity for the UAE Government, and Peter Sund, CEO of the Finnish Information Security Cluster, examined how AI is reshaping the cyber landscape and where the two countries can work together. Another session explored the shift towards proactive, agentic government services while maintaining trust, accountability and human oversight. Eng. Mohammed Al Qasim, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, presented the ministry's experience in a session on education.
Participants emphasised the value of joint initiatives in priority fields to build more agile and adaptable government models.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
