Dubai: Benjamin Franklin, a founding father of the United States, once remarked: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
With that view in mind, a large gathering delegates from abroad will attend the opening of the three-day Knowledge Summit 2016 in Dubai on Wednesday to brainstorm and compare notes to bolster future generations of Arab culture, academia and societies.
Now in its third year, the summit is being organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF) and has assembled a body “of high-ranking decision makers, ministers, senior officials, academics, and specialists from around the world to share their insights, expertise, and success stories in the knowledge industry,” said the foundation in a statement.
Jamal bin Huwaireb, managing director of MBRF, said delegates will “examine the realities of knowledge as measured against data mined through the studies and surveys we conducted with our partners in the lead-up to the summit. We look forward to forging new partnerships and signing new agreements during the course of the 2016 Summit, which will serve to bolster the foundation’s efforts and bring us one step closer to our strategic objective to create a generation of educated, cultured Arabs who can develop our societies.”
Organisers said that winners of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award for their contributions and achievements in the production and dissemination of knowledge globally would be announced on the first day of the summit.
Day two will see the announcement of results of the Arab Reading Index — launched in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) — based on a recently conducted survey involving 50,000 people from different Arab countries and social groups about knowledge in the Arab world.
“This year’s summit will additionally include the launching of the Arab Reading Index,” Bin Huwaireb said, “a tool that allows us to examine current reading patterns in the Arab world, which, in turn, can help us propose solutions to reinstate a reading culture in our societies — especially among younger generations.”
A third initiative, the Arab Knowledge Index, will be updated on the final day of the summit to help delegates bone up on the latest trends and developers in the knowledge industry to help set new strategies and goals.
The third annual Knowledge Summit is also slated to include a number of workshops and training courses, led by experts in innovation, leadership, and the future. The workshops aim to develop the participants’ skill sets, promote happiness in the workplace, and train a generation of innovative future-oriented leaders.
