New York – Today, at its Headquarters in New York, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed an agreement with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) to continue joint work within the frame of the Knowledge Project for the next ten years (2021-2030). The agreement renews a decade-long partnership that promotes evidence-based policymaking for sustainable development in the Arab States region and around the world.

Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, Jamal bin Huwaireb, MBRF Chief Executive Officer, Saud Al Shamsi, Chargé d'affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the United Nations, and Laurent Probst, Partner at Price Waterhouse Cooper in Luxembourg and Global Lead of PWC’s Accelerator Network participated in the signing ceremony, organized by UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Arab States and the UAE Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

“Lessons of the past must inform development policies of the future, making knowledge a critical ally as we strive to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and shift to a more sustainable and resilient path,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “In today’s fast-paced world, gaining, sharing and applying knowledge expands people’s capabilities and opportunities, and enriches their nations in every aspect of life — from education to the economy, from technology to the world of work.”

The Knowledge Project focuses on promoting and measuring knowledge across the Arab States and around the world. Its key products include the Global Knowledge Index, the only global index that measures knowledge for 134 countries, and the future of Knowledge Foresight Report, a pilot study which covers 20 countries, focusing on emerging fields of knowledge that will shape the future of knowledge societies.

“There is no development without knowledge. The Global Knowledge Index addresses the critical need to measure knowledge within the Arab region and around the world,” stressed MBRF Chief Executive Officer Jamal bin Huwaireb. “It also focuses on the pivotal role of youth in building knowledge societies. Our constant effort to spread knowledge and achieve its goals for development can only be realized through the empowerment of youth.”

In addition to the ten-year agreement, the event saw the signing of two other agreements. The first one is to chart a plan to engage youth from UAE as interns with UNDP. The second, between UNDP and PwC, is to produce the new Future of Knowledge Foresight Report 2019, one of the outputs envisioned in the ten-year plan between UNDP and MBRF.

“The UAE has witnessed remarkable socio-economic transformations since UNDPfirst opened its doors in 1977. Our relationship with UNDP has evolved over the years,” said Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations Saud Al Shamsi. “MBRF and UNDP found each other in 2008 and have been releasing since then great publications that document the best thinking on development and turning them into media-friendly content that is also practical for the Member States. With the signing of this agreement, we look forward to the outcomes of the next decade as this partnership continues to grow.”

For information, please contact
Diana Assaf, Copywriter & Research Officer, Knowledge Project, UNDP-RBAS
E-mail: diana.assaf@undp.org   Tel: +961 3 926917