The UAE retained its position among the top 20 countries in the Global Knowledge Index (GKI), advancing seven positions in two years, ranking 18 on the global level and first among all the Arab states.
 
The 2019 results of the GKI was unveiled by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) unveiled, along with the launching of the second edition of the world’s first Future of Knowledge Foresight Report, an innovative knowledge measurement tool to analyse big data and evaluate the awareness of skills and technology on a global level, during the opening of the sixth edition of the Knowledge Summit that took place in Dubai under the title “Knowledge: The Path to Sustainable Development.”
 
“The Knowledge Summit sets out the global vision and policies for sustainable development, to which the United Nations has developed an integrated approach, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is a roadmap for all societies to reach the well-being and progress of people in all areas,” said Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.
 
“Investing in the creation, dissemination and above all the use of knowledge about development processes is fundamental for achieving sustainable development,” said UNDP Acting Associate Administrator and Regional Director for Arab States Mourad Wahba. “From the Arab States region to the World, the UNDP-MBRF Knowledge Project came to shape a new and innovative vision for the realization of the 2030 Agenda.”
 
Under the umbrella of the partnership between UNDP and MBRF and within the Knowledge Project, the 2019 edition of the GKI was released, expanding its coverage this year to 136 countries. The GKI is a roadmap for the sustainable development of societies. It helps countries formulate forward-thinking strategies to support knowledge and promote it as a main component in building a stronger knowledge economy while ensuring sustainable development.
 
According to the results of the GKI 2019, Switzerland and Finland retained their number one and two ranks, followed by United States, Singapore, and Luxembourg.
 
In addition to the GKI 2019, UNDP and MBRF launched the results of the 2019 edition of the Future of Knowledge Foresight Report. The report presents the latest findings of the ‘Future of Knowledge’ series, which uses an innovative knowledge measurement tool to analyze big data and evaluate the awareness of skills and technology, expanding the scope this year to cover 40 countries.
 
This report cautions policymakers that, in the absence of comprehensive re/upskilling and training opportunities, economies will risk stagnation and potential decline in the near future.
 
It assists country leaders in preparing their citizens for the future knowledge landscape and equipping them with adequate skillsets. It aspires to encourage proactive leadership among all nations to ensure the sustainable continued re/upskilling of workforces. The continued emergence of new technologies forces both employers and employees to continuously adapt to new systems and processes. By using real-time data to assess future fields of knowledge, political leaders and supporting stakeholders will be able to envision the future needs of their citizens in an objective and efficient manner.
 
During the launching session of the Future of Knowledge Foresight Report, Jan Sturesson, founder of Resting – Advice from the Future and Laurent Probst, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Luxembourg, presented the results of the report and discussed the technological awareness as a prerequisite for technological uptake, the digital technologies transforming the nature of jobs, and bridging the skills gaps. – TradeArabia News Service

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