His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Launches Arab Knowledge Report at Inaugural Seminar for Arab Strategy Forum

Arab Knowledge Report 2009 Provides Insight into Ways of Upgrading Region’s Capabilities

Dubai: 28 October, 2009 – His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, today launched the ‘Arab Knowledge Report 2009’ at the first of a series of seminars the Arab Strategy Forum is organizing throughout the region.

Titled ‘Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive Intercommunication for Knowledge’, the report is the outcome of a collaborative endeavour between the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation and the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States. It is also the first of a series of reports that aim to throw light on the status of knowledge in the Arab region.

The two-day Forum, that opened today at the Mina A’ Salam Hotel in Dubai will draw upon the perspectives of leading researchers and intellectuals for enhancing the region’s knowledge landscape.

Dr. Sulaiman Al Hattlan, CEO of Arab Strategy Forum, said: “The launch of the Arab Knowledge Report highlights the intense analysis and identification of opportunities and risks inherent in the acquisition, production, creation, and deployment of knowledge. Emphasizing the organic relationship among progress, freedom, and knowledge, the report highlights the need to enhance the role of knowledge as a gateway to further quicken the pace for Arab development.

"Since its inception seven years ago, the Arab Strategy Forum has remained a high-visibility platform, turning the spotlight not just on Dubai, but on the UAE and the region as a whole. The launch of the Arab Knowledge Report 2009 at the first pre-event seminar sets the stage for yet another significant chapter in the annals of the Arab Strategy Forum."

The Day 1 sessions at the seminar focused on institutional infrastructure, social culture and values in the Arab world in the context of the establishment of a knowledge society. The special address ‘Tangible Innovation’ by John P. Keegan, Chairman and President, Charles Edison Fund - Edison Innovation Foundation, US, highlighted the importance of encouraging innovation at all levels in the society.

A second plenary session discussed the foundation and mechanism of action for building a knowledge society in the Arab region. The event also outlined topics such as ‘Knowledge gaps and the enabling environments for creating a knowledge society in the Arab world, and ‘Education and formation of knowledge capital’.

The Arab Strategy Forum is renowned for bringing about definitive changes in the region’s thinking and in shaping the policy of government and business organisations. In its new format, the Arab Strategy Forum aims to enable the creation of opportunities for change, and will be underpinned as in the past by bespoke knowledge and research on the Arab world.

Launched in 2001 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Arab Strategy Forum serves as a knowledge platform that offers a unique combination of unparalleled network, debate-driven sessions and custom-made knowledge products. It aims to provide participants with the tools needed to shape viable action plans for the region.

To download the Arab Knowledge Report 2009, click here