‘Knowledge, information driver of future economies’
MBRF’S Chief Executive declared that the knowledge summit has changed a lot of concepts in the past years and helped enhance knowledge in its different shapes
DUBAI: The fifth annual Knowledge Summit, organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), concluded on Thursday as Futurists including representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and MBRF identiied Knowledge and Information as driver of future economies.
Khaled Abdel Shafi, Director, Regional Hub for Arab States, UNDP, highlighted the increasingly important role played by knowledge in the development of societies, “As we strive to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, knowledge is our strong ally. Its application develops capabilities and expands opportunities in multiple sectors of our lives, from education to economy to technology.”
MBRF’S Chief Executive Jamal Bin Huwaireb declared that the knowledge summit has changed a lot of concepts in the past years and helped enhance knowledge in its different shapes.
He announced, “The 2018 edition of the Global Knowledge Index is a testimony of our efforts in paving the way for pioneering projects and initiatives that catalyse our societies’ effort towards producing, disseminating and localizing knowledge in the world.”
He added that under the umbrella of the partnership between UNDP and MBRF and within the Knowledge for All project, signiicant success was achieved over the years that led to expanding the scope of work to cover 134 countries in the 2018 edition of GKI.
He stated that the UAE is headed for Vision 2030 and the results of the Global Knowledge Index prove that the UAE is on the right track.
Dr Hany Torky, Chief Technical Adviser of the Arab Knowledge Project, noted “Data can help the Arab region speed up development in the right direction, embracing the technology of the future, where the Global Knowledge Index also plays an important role in encouraging the countries to make their data available.”
He also highlighted the critical role played by different educational sectors and its effect on the other sectors, namely innovation, technology and economy.
The Global Knowledge Index serves as a roadmap for the sustainable development of societies. It helps countries in the region and globally to formulate a forward-thinking strategy to support knowledge and promote it as a main component in building a stronger knowledge economy while ensuring sustainable development.
“This project shows the keenness of the UAE leadership and people to keep up with scientiic development in preparation for the future,” Torky added.
The Summit also highlighted UNDP and MBRF’S latest achievements in producing the world’s irst Future of Knowledge: A Foresight Report, which is a pilot study on the future ields of knowledge that will shape the transformation of knowledge societies.