The questions on the table at this year’s NDTV World Summit 2026 were the kind that reach beyond conference halls and into ordinary households: how the international order is shifting, where alliances and balances of power are heading, what the global economy will look like, and how developments in artificial intelligence, technology and security will shape daily life. Held under the theme A World Between Orders, the summit was organised by the Indian media network NDTV and brought together prominent leaders, policymakers, economic experts, entrepreneurs and thought leaders to examine major global developments and challenges.
The United Arab Emirates was represented at the New Delhi gathering by a delegation led by His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs. His Highness was accompanied by His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism; His Excellency Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, Minister of State; His Excellency Abdulla Saif Al Nuaimi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Republic of India; and a number of senior UAE officials.
For citizens in both countries, the practical weight of such summits lies in what they signal about cooperation on the economy, technology and security, areas that touch employment, trade and public wellbeing. The UAE’s participation took concrete form when His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri delivered the UAE’s address during the summit and took part in the session India and the UAE: Building Partnerships in a Changing Gulf. That session placed the bilateral relationship before an international audience of policymakers and experts, framing it within the wider transformations reshaping the Gulf and beyond.
The agenda itself reflected concerns that governments and publics alike are grappling with. Organisers structured discussions around shifts in the international order, the evolution of alliances and balances of power, and the future of the global economy. Attention was also given to developments in artificial intelligence, technology and security, as well as India’s growing role on the international stage. For the public, these are not abstract themes. The direction of the global economy affects prices, jobs and opportunity, while advances in artificial intelligence and technology carry consequences for how people work, communicate and stay safe.
The first day concluded with a speech titled A World Between Orders, delivered by His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India. The address shared its title with the summit’s overarching theme. It closed a day of discussion among leaders and experts who had gathered in the Indian capital to weigh a world in transition.
As an international platform, the summit’s value rests in its ability to convene decision makers and thinkers who shape policy affecting millions. The presence of a high-level UAE delegation, led by His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and including the country’s Minister of Economy and Tourism, a Minister of State and the UAE’s Ambassador to India, underscored the weight the Emirates places on dialogue with India and with the wider community of nations represented at the event.
Further details of the delegation’s participation and the summit’s proceedings are available from the UAE’s official media channels, including coverage published at https://www.mediaoffice.abudhabi/en/government-affairs/theyab-bin-mohamed-bin-zayed-leads-uae-delegation-at-ndtv-world-summit-2026-in-new-delhi/.
The discussions in New Delhi, spanning the global economy, technology, security and the changing balance of international power, will continue to inform how governments respond to challenges that ultimately matter most to the people they serve.