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· A new Arab Knowledge Index and Portal are the centerpieces of the new partnership agreement.
· Sima Bahous: This fruitful partnership is inspired by a shared vision of promoting knowledge.
· Jamal Bin Huwaireb: it will contribute to the development of knowledge-embracing Arab societies.
Amman - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) are currently developing the first Arab Knowledge Index, a summary measure that best reflects knowledge accumulation, production and consumption from a development perspective, taking into consideration the specific socio-cultural context, needs and challenges of the Arab region. When released, the index along with the "Knowledge 4 All" digital Portal that will be built around it, will be state-of-the-art tools for monitoring and advocating for knowledge-based development in the Arab region.
The index and portal are the centerpieces of the new partnership agreement that the Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States, Sima Bahous and MBRF Managing Director, Jamal Bin Huwaireb, signed today in the Jordanian capital Amman during the inauguration of UNDP's new regional hub in Amman.
"This fruitful partnership is inspired by a shared vision of promoting knowledge for sustainable development in the Arab Region, which finds its roots in the first series of Arab Human development Reports" stressed UNDP Regional Director for Arab States Sima Bahous. "The call that the series sounded for a knowledge revival in the Arab region resonated with the insightful vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for the future of the Arab region, which he created his Endowment and Foundation to pursue, in a true act of intellectual leadership," she added
The partnership agreement launches a five-year second phase of the collaborative effort between UNDP and MBRF on the Arab Knowledge Project, a pioneering regional programme, which started in 2007. Focusing on knowledge as a cornerstone of development in the Arab region, the project published, over the course of eight years, three widely disseminated Arab Knowledge reports underscoring key opportunities and challenges to building effective knowledge-based societies in Arab countries.
"The agreement we are signing today with UNDP emphasizes the depth of our joint partnership," said Managing Director of MBRF H.E. Jamal Bin Huwaireb, who added "We hope that this partnership will develop and prosper, and that our collaborative efforts will lead to the announcement of further projects and initiatives that will contribute to the development and renaissance of knowledge-embracing Arab societies."
The Arab Knowledge Project has a special interest in youth and particularly focuses on means to empower them through knowledge. It has consistently highlighted current misalignment between youth formation institutions in the Arab region and the prerequisites for the successful integration of Arab youth in the local and global knowledge-based job markets.
For further information, please contact:
Lina Al Anani
Director of Marketing & Corporate Communication
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation
Phone: +971-50-9023333
Email: lina.alanani@mbrf.ae
Stephanie Boustany
Research Assistant, Arab Knowledge Project
United Nations Development Programme
Phone: +961-70-530302
Email: stephanie.boustany@undp.org
About UNDP
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
About Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF)
Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the 2007 World Economic Forum in Jordan, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) aims to empower future generations to devise sustainable solutions that address challenges in the knowledge and research domains in the Arab world.
MBRF carries out its work through its vision that the Arab region's success depends on creating an environment conducive to acquiring knowledge and on providing tomorrow's leaders with motivation to build a better future. MBRF's mission is summarized in the pursuit to develop the region's human resources via establishing a wide base of human capital with extensive set of skills and talents, and providing more opportunities to the young generation to quire knowledge and secure a better future. MBRF also promotes leadership skills among young people in order to improve the level and quality of their life.
About the Arab Knowledge Index
Since the establishment of the Arab Knowledge project, and throughout the preparation stages of all three reports, it has been continuously confirmed that there is a significant lack of credible data and research that can support the decision making process in the areas of knowledge and development. Hence, there is a need for region-specific monitoring and evaluation tools that take into consideration the Arab region's contexts, cultures and needs, which is not the case with the currently available international tools.
This led to the development of the Arab Knowledge index, an index that best reflects "knowledge from a development perspective" and at the same time takes into consideration the Arab region's specific context, needs and challenges.
The Arab Knowledge Index shall focus on several critical sectors: Education at its various levels, R&D and Innovation, Economy, and ICT.
The Index methodology was developed in consultation with top-level regional experts and academics, including consultations at the UNESCO, ALECSO, UN-ESCWA, Institute of International Education (IIE) and Regional Center of Quality and Excellence in Education (RCQE) in Saudi Arabia.
The Index is to be launched in its first stage on December 8th, 2015.
About the Arab Knowledge Portal: Knowledge 4 All
The Knowledge 4 All is an initiative seeking to establish a digital reference hub for all researchers, professionals, students, stakeholders and the general public in relation to the various data and publications on knowledge-related topics. The initiative is currently focused on Arabic and English resources involving the Arab region, in addition to theoretical and conceptual work about knowledge, namely from a development perspective, e.g. knowledge and development, knowledge localization, youth and knowledge, youth formation, knowledge spheres, knowledge generation, knowledge dissemination across local, regional and international spheres, to mention a few sample areas of interest.
The Knowledge 4 All initiative builds on the years-long expertise of the Arab Knowledge Project team, with the web portal projected to become the electronic facet of the project and a more interactive and dynamic way of presenting the Project's contributions and promoting further constructive debate on knowledge and development in the Arab region.
The importance of such an initiative stems from the central role of knowledge in the development of modern day societies, and from the deficiency in data and publications about the knowledge scene and its various components in the Arab region. We hope that the establishment of such a hub will facilitate and further promote research about knowledge in the Arab region, and thus contribute to the better development of the region.
© Press Release 2015
