Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; the seventh edition of the Knowledge Summit organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which opened today.

His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, and Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), attended the inauguration of the event.

Held under the theme ‘Knowledge: Protecting People and the Planet in the Pandemic’, the event kicked off at Expo 2020 Dubai in the presence of experts, leaders, and government officials from around the world. In-person sessions of the seventh edition of the Knowledge Summit will be held on 14 and 15 March, while virtual sessions will be held from 16 – 18 March.

Jamal Bin Huwaireb, CEO of MBRF, highlighted in his opening speech the unique example set by the UAE in combating the pandemic and mitigating its repercussions. He pointed to the exceptional success of Expo 2020 Dubai as an example of how the country offers a model for the world in ensuring the highest standards of health and protection for the community and global visitors. His Excellency said the event sends a strong message of hope to the world about the role of cooperation in enhancing growth, development, and prosperity.

“The seventh edition of the Knowledge Summit, which was first held in 2014, aims to revitalise the role of knowledge worldwide by promoting new methodologies and mechanisms for producing and disseminating knowledge. It also aims to create an avenue for constructive debate about the role of knowledge in protecting people from pandemics and other global challenges,” he further said.

“This year’s Summit highlights various global challenges such as climate change, food security, and poverty. It also reviews the general legal landscape to explore new legal practices in the post-pandemic world and innovative economic and environmental systems to shape a better future,” Bin Huwaireb added.

In her speech, Dr. Khalida Bouzar, Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator and Regional Director, Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP, also commended the success of Expo 2020 Dubai and the pivotal role played by MBRF at the regional and global levels in building knowledge-based societies.

She stated: “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major global disruption that has directly affected countries’ progress towards the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, putting its gains at risk.”

“At the United Nations Development Programme and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, we are committed to pursuing our knowledge initiatives, believing that knowledge is the only way for humanity to confront threats. We have released the results of the Global Knowledge Index for 2020 and 2021, and here we are today at this global knowledge event, the Knowledge Summit in its seventh edition, launching the Future of Knowledge Foresight Report in its third edition. The report focuses on the transformative capacities that enable countries to continue to grow in the face of shocks and to sustain development gains,” she added.

The Summit’s events are scheduled to continue until 15 March, followed by the virtual conferences and their broadcast on the website on 16, 17, and 18 March.

The launch of the Knowledge Summit is part of the UAE’s objectives to promote the transfer and dissemination of knowledge and highlight the opportunities and challenges of building knowledge societies, considering the unprecedented changes that have taken place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The summit, which coincides with Expo 2020 Dubai, provides a unique platform to engage in various debates on the knowledge industry and its role in addressing current and future challenges.

The Summit also focuses on providing broad and in-depth discussions and perspectives on several issues of common global interest and impact, bringing together high-profile experts, academics, and decision makers from around the world to examine current and future challenges in all areas, review opportunities and alternatives offered by new knowledge, and formulate effective solutions and tools to enable countries to achieve their development plans outlined in their SDGs.

The Summit will see the results of Arab countries in the Global Knowledge Index 2021, an important and major initiative under the Knowledge Project, a long-term strategic partnership between the MBRF and UNDP.

In addition, the third edition of The Future of Knowledge Foresight Report will also be launched. The report showcases the future knowledge landscape and examines the differences between countries’ transformative capacities for major global risks, using large data over two years, which offer new insights into countries’ readiness to meet future risks.

MBRF was established to promote and empower knowledge in the societies of the region and the world as a key goal and plan of action to build faster and more accurate solutions to health, environmental, economic, and social challenges and provide a better future and a clear path to sustainable development.