The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation is an initiative spearheaded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai who has committed a personal endowment of AED 37 billion ($10 billion) toward the development of a knowledge-based society in the region.

The region is among the fastest growing in the world, distinguished by a genuine drive to build a brighter future by transforming challenges into opportunities and encouraging stronger partnerships between governments, private sector and civil society.
The region is facing a number of geo-political, economic challenges. Some countries are experiencing moderate growth rates with per capita GDP growth of 1.5% against the developed world economies’ 2.5%.
Reports on the Arab region's development demonstrate that no tangible progress could be achieved without the necessary knowledge base. Reports indicate that the region lacks the qualified human capital, necessary to achieve the development goals.

For example, the Arab world lags behind the developed world in the level of investment it commits to research and development, spending only 0.2% of its GNP against the developed world’s rate of between 2.5% and 5%. Illiteracy rates range from 20-40%, of whom 18% are under 15 years of age and 43% are women. This situation points to a crucial need for the region to address a growing skills gap and stimulate levels of research and development.

Books published in the Arab world represent 1% of the world’s output. This is a critical situation for a region with such a wealth of cultural history and rich heritage in literature and education.
According to the International Labour Organisation, unemployment across the region (14%) is the highest in the world – with the lowest rate of labour force participation (53.9%), for a region where 60% of its population is under 25.
The region’s growth rate is insufficient to generate enough jobs for all the young people entering the labour force – 80 million jobs are needed over the next 10 years.

“Our region’s success depends on creating an environment conducive to knowledge and on providing tomorrow’s leaders with the motivation to build a better future. It is our duty to make them great assets to themselves, their nation and to the world.”
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Provide Arabs with opportunities to guide the region towards a knowledge economy through promoting entrepreneurship, research and innnovation, enhancing access to quality education and professional development; and supporting the production, acquisition and dissemination of Arab knowledge sources.

The Foundation will design and deliver specific programmes aiming to:

The endowment is 10 billion USD in total, and it will be fully managed by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation in accordance with international best practices in Foundation management.

The Foundation will mainly serve youth, scholars, authors, social entrepreneurs, civil society organizations in the region.

The Foundation’s programmes commenced by the end of 2007.

In the first stage of the Foundation’s existence, it will be the main driver of all programmes and initiatives. However the Foundation is happy to receive project proposals that are in line with its mission and strategic objectives. All proposals will be reviewed by a team of experts who will assess their relevance to the Foundation’s scope of work. 

The Foundation will work for human development across the whole region that includes the Arab World and neighbouring countries that have a friendly relationship with the UAE. The Foundation is based in Dubai, UAE.

The Foundation currently offers one translation training programme for holders of a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent who have a minimum of two years’ experience in translation.