Dubai: The importance of educational philanthropy in moulding and building future generations and the educational philanthropy opportunities available in the region were discussed at a conference held in Dubai yesterday.

The conference which was titled ‘Philanthropy in Higher Education and Responsible Social Giving: When Giving is a Reward’ was held under the patronage of Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development.

The event was organized by the University Leadership Council (ULC) which was launched in January 2012 to provide a platform for collaboration and regionally relevant research and innovation.

The main purpose of the event, as Nada Mortada Sabbah, Vice Chancellor for development and Alumni Affairs at the American University of Sharjah stated, was to shed light on educational–philanthropy opportunities and share ideas on these.

“The conference is designed to enhance philanthropy in higher education as a regional answer to the global discourse on how it can more effectively and strategically strengthen our young people and economy. This forum will encourage the exchange of ideas on social responsible philanthropy and explore philanthropy initiatives in higher education in the region.”

Speaking on behalf of ULC, Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in the UAE, stated that the culture of giving in the region is as strong as the West’s as it is rooted in the religion of Islam. However the means of how to develop and encourage it needs to be discussed.

“Many have formed foundations that have contributed to the establishment of new universities or enhancing the quality of education in the existing universities which have been a cornerstone of higher education in the United States. The practice and tradition is here, the question is how to develop and encourage it.”

Moavenzadeh is a member of ULC’s council which comprises five UAE universities: American University of Sharjah; Masdar Institute of Science and Technology; Zayed University; UAE University; Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research; Abu Dhabi University; and the education division of Dubai Healthcare City.

Philippe Douste-Blazy, former minister of foreign affairs of France, and currently the Undersecretary-General of the United Nations, who heads the UNITAID initiative, spoke about the need to be innovative in acquiring funds.

“One child is dying every three seconds because of curable diseases and 500,000 women are dying each year from pregnancy. How can you ask prime ministers in Europe for example to keep giving billions and billions of dollars each year, it is impossible because these countries also have poor people as well so we have to think about how we can create innovative financing.”

Douste-Blazy gave examples of innovative financing ideas that have been executed in France stating: “We imposed a law in France where one extra euro must be paid with every airplane ticket purchased. If a person can afford to purchase a plane ticket he can spare a euro, a euro that can save three children from malaria. Fifteen countries took part and we raised $2.8 million (Dh10.28 million).”

Hesham Al Sherif, chairman of IT investments and Professor Emeritus American University of Cairo, spoke of the need to invest and contribute to higher education as the growth rate of the region continues to increase. “There is a limit to the wealth generated from natural resources, only the product of the mind is what is going to be sustainable. The Arab world population today is close to 380 million and in the year 2050, less than 40 years from now, it is going to be double as it continues to grow with a 2.1 per cent growth rate to become 760 million. So we need 400 cities (if each can hold a million), 100,000 hospitals, 100 million schools, half a million kindergartens.” He stated that supporting higher education is vital in order to create responsible leaders who will be in charge of building the future.