Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation and the South are full of achievements

During the year 2024, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation achieved a series of distinguished knowledge achievements that it added to its rich record, as it launched several qualitative projects and initiatives, and organized a group of events that played a vital role in spreading knowledge and enhancing its paths locally, regionally and internationally, which reflects the Foundation’s continuous efforts and its lofty mission in building sustainable knowledge societies on the foundations of science and technology, thus continuing its journey in knowledge leadership, embodying the vision of the wise leadership in enhancing the position of the UAE as a global center for knowledge and innovation.

His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, said: “The year 2024 witnessed remarkable achievements by the Foundation that reflected its unwavering commitment to promoting knowledge, innovation and learning, and opening up partnerships between knowledge entities worldwide, which contributes to supporting communities and motivating youth to develop and grow.

This is in line with the Foundation’s goals to anticipate the future and dedicate the concepts of innovation and knowledge entrepreneurship, in order to achieve the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, for Dubai to lead the global scene as a scientific and intellectual center and a city with a strong economy based on knowledge.” His Excellency concluded by stressing that the Foundation will continue its journey of achievements as a leading entity in supporting knowledge paths towards sustainable development.

Projects and Achievements

The ninth Knowledge Summit was one of the most prominent achievements of the past year, with the participation of more than 100 speakers from elite global figures and prominent academics in the fields of artificial intelligence, technology, economics, education, environment and other vital sectors, within more than 40 valuable and inspiring discussion sessions and knowledge events that discussed future skills and modern technologies, especially artificial intelligence. The summit also received more than 3,000 visitors and more than 22,000 followers via the website and social media platforms.

On the sidelines of the Knowledge Summit, the Foundation hosted the "Third UNESCO World Conference on Open Educational Resources", which was organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the first time in the Arab region.

In terms of honoring inspiring knowledge achievers, the Foundation honored the winners of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award for 2024, where their contributions to spreading knowledge and promoting education and scientific research were praised. During a special dialogue session within the summit’s activities, they reviewed their intellectual, creative and humanitarian contributions that led them to receive this high honor.

Thanks to the great success and positive results achieved by the "Future Skills for All" initiative, the Knowledge Summit 2024 witnessed the first meeting of the "Global Alliance for Skills Development", which aimed to unify international efforts to empower youth by training them in advanced skills and developing their leadership capabilities, and moving the initiative to a new stage represented by the launch of the "Future Skills Academy" project by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation and the United Nations Development Program in cooperation with the global educational platform "Coursera", to provide free educational and training opportunities for 10 million learners by 2030.

One of the prominent projects launched by the Foundation for the year 2024 is the "Documenting Sheikh Rashid's Legacy" project, which came to commemorate the thirty-fourth anniversary of the passing of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, may God bless his soul, and aims to document the rich journey of giving left by the late, as it represents a comprehensive archive that highlights the prominent and authentic qualities, values ​​and principles of Sheikh Rashid's personality and his leadership career that left a great impact on History of the Emirate of Dubai and the UAE.

Enhancing Presence

Last year, the Foundation organized the second edition of the "Youth Knowledge Forum" in Egypt, encouraging knowledge workers to continue to be creative and innovative, and seeking to drive growth and progress.

With regard to digital and knowledge content, the "Digital Knowledge Center", the leading Arab knowledge platform developed by the Foundation, continues to grow with a content volume of more than 800,000 titles divided into digital entities that reached 8.5 million digital materials, and updating the mechanisms of availability through its three knowledge portals and its specialized qualitative libraries that reached more than 18 libraries. It uses smart mechanisms to analyze the cognitive trends of users, which are important tools for guiding the authoring and publishing processes in the Arab world.

The Dubai International Program for Writing organized many diverse intellectual workshops and events, such as: "Writing Children's Stories", "Book Criticism", "Scientific Translation", "Artistic Drawing for Children's Stories" workshops, and "Writing Novels in Jordan" workshop. The program organized dozens of events as part of the Foundation's participation in local, Arab and international book fairs, including: Sharjah and Abu Dhabi Book Fairs, Cairo International Book Fair, London Book Fair, Frankfurt Book Fair, and other activities in which program members participated. Among the most prominent outcomes of the program is the publication of a series of valuable scientific books and children's books, which exceeded 15 valuable books that were reviewed and discussed via the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation platform, in person and virtually. The Foundation also participated in the "GITEX Global 2024" exhibition, the Riyadh International Book Fair, and the Kuwait Exhibition. Under the umbrella of "Knowledge Break", the Foundation organized more than 40 dialogue and knowledge sessions that included various topics addressed by prominent figures in the world of knowledge and publishing, and discussed dozens of prominent books on the scene and widely circulated among readers.

The Foundation concluded its 2024 initiatives with the 12th edition of the “Bil Arabi” initiative, which aims to encourage the use of the Arabic language in daily life. The initiative recently won the third edition of the King Salman International Academy for the Arabic Language Award, in recognition of its great achievements in serving and enriching the Arabic language. The campaign received wide interaction from the public, as it included a range of events and activities celebrating the Arabic language in a number of major shopping malls in the country, in addition to the widespread use of the hashtag “Bil Arabi” on social media. It also witnessed the organization of events outside the country in: Bahrain, Egypt, Britain, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.