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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, the largest private foundation in the Arab world, have signed a landmark agreement in support of knowledge in the Arab World. 

The agreement will span over five years and total approximately $20m. It was signed on October 28th at the inaugural Arab Knowledge Conference, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and will pave the way for the following activities:

-quality assessment of higher education in the Arab World, building on the outcomes of existing UNDP/RBAS regional programmes; 
- publication of the Arab Knowledge Report, a policy and advocacy tool examining the state of knowledge in the Arab Region.

“The Arab world is in dire need to revisit the ‘knowledge’ concept, and to embrace the knowledge economy as the only path to success through the challenges of the third millennium,” said Ms. Amat Al Alim Alsoswa, Regional Director of UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States.

The Arab Knowledge Report will build on the momentum established by UNDP’s Arab Human Development Report 2003: Building a Knowledge Society.  Emphasizing the need for Arab governments to close a growing knowledge gap by enabling innovation and investing heavily in education, the Arab Human Development Report 2003 ignited an intense debate with policy repercussions at the global, regional and national levels. The Arab Knowledge Report will expand on that breakthrough analysis, presenting new data and studies on recent trends, and identifying lessons for the flourishing of an Arab knowledge society marked by high levels of quality education and a productive, diversified engagement with the global knowledge economy.

For MBRF, the partnership with UNDP is part of an important effort to open doors for upcoming generations of Arab leaders to shape their own futures through the acquisition of world-class knowledge and education.

“Our partnership with UNDP will help us impact a positive environment, offering equal opportunities that nurture the region’s youth and create a promising generation of future leaders,” said Mohammed Al Gergawi, Chairman of MBRF.

MBRF was launched at the 2007 World Economic Forum in Jordan with an endowment of $US10bn committed in personal capacity by Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates, and Ruler of Dubai. MBRF supports a wide range of initiatives to boost the knowledge capital of the region, from funding research institutions and youth leadership programmes to providing scholarships and research grants. It is the largest private foundation in the Arab World.

The agreement ushers in the first partnership between UNDP and a private foundation in the region, and represents a major step forward for UNDP’s initiative to work with all sectors of Arab society, including governments, the private sector, civil society and private foundations.

For UNDP and MBRF, the collaboration on the Arab Knowledge Report marks the beginning of a long-term commitment to work together for human development in the Arab region.

For more information, please visit www.undp.org/arabstates

For press queries, please contact Sausan Ghosheh +1 (212) 906-5830 sausan.ghosheh@undp.org