People-first initiatives and the development of the national workforce will be the two major topics of discussion at the fifth annual GOV HR Summit in Abu Dhabi next month, it has been announced.

Hosted under the theme of ‘Turning the biggest challenges into the greatest opportunities’, this year’s summit will feature more than 20 sessions covering every aspect of human capital development in the GCC.

The opening panel discussion will feature chief executives from across the region, who will discuss the role of HR as a strategic business partner, and its responsibility for managing the most valuable asset of an organisation – its people.

“Human capital transformation in the public sector is critically dependent on developing new skills, changing deep-rooted behaviours and dealing with the uncertainty and conflict that can arise as a result,” said Abdul Malik Al Balushi, CEO of the Oman Post.

“Unless HR leaders and key decision makers are involved at the core of this process, to ensure the key people management issues are addressed, we could see this creating a backlog in the roll-out of plans,” he said.

Speakers from major government, semi government and state-owned entities, across the two days, will include: Her Excellency Maytha Al Habsi, deputy CEO, Emirates Foundation for Youth Development; Fatma Hussain, chief human capital officer, TECOM Group; and Wassem Hassan, vice president – human resources and administration, DXB Entertainment.

Engaging millennials and generation z workers “is a key driver of economic progress and sustainable development in any nation”, said Al Habsi. “In the UAE, and the Arab world, where youth forms a significant percentage of the overall population, ensuring that their voice is heard at a policy level is all the more critical.”

His Excellency Eng Ahmed A Aziz Al Khayat, undersecretary, Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning in Bahrain, said that while some organisations have realised the critical importance of a more integrated approach to human capital development – in order to create a more sustainable workforce and improve performance and business continuity – not all are equipped with the appropriate tools and accurate data, “or even the knowledge to effectively formulate strategies or development plans”, meaning their enthusiasm has turned into frustration and scepticism.

The aim of the summit is therefore to provide a knowledge sharing platform so that companies can reimagine HR, benchmark employee experience, create tools and implement a sustainable HR model.

The GOV HR Summit will take place at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, from 30-31 October 2017.