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The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Program and within the “Knowledge Project,” announced the launch of a “Future Skills Academy” for the Arab region, as part of the activities of the “Digitization for Sustainable Development” (D4SD) initiative hosted by the United Nations Development Program on… Margins of the seventy-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79) in New York.
This came in the presence and participation of His Excellency Omran Sharaf, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Science and Advanced Technology, His Excellency Osama Abdel Khaleq, Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United Nations, His Excellency Xu Haoliang, Under-Secretary-General and Deputy Director of the United Nations Development Programme, and His Excellency Muhammad Al-Mannai, Minister of Communications and Technology. Information in Qatar, and His Excellency Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt.
The launch of the academy comes as an embodiment of the UAE’s approach and vision to establish the foundations of a knowledge economy based on innovation, leadership and creativity, and based on the belief of the country’s wise leadership in the importance of investing in people and their role in developing societies.
The Academy seeks to provide individuals, governments, and small and medium-sized companies with the digital skills and sustainable development skills necessary for the future and to support the promotion of societal innovation, in addition to cooperating with universities and the private sector to enhance learning experiences, improve the practical outcomes of education, and address disparities in the labor market, including gender gaps. Providing educational and vocational programs directed to underrepresented groups.
The academy is a qualitative leap forward from the Future Skills for All initiative launched by the Knowledge Project last year with the aim of providing educational programs that would bring about a qualitative transformation in the lives of thousands of citizens in Arab countries, by improving and refining their skills and helping them acquire new skills, which contributes to preparing them for the jobs of the future and advancing… The wheel of sustainable economic growth in the region.
The academy will allow expansion and reach more than one million citizens of the Arab region. It will also meet the growing demand of a number of governments for this type of specialized programme, which will cover gaps in educational systems through partnerships with the relevant governments. It will also contribute to addressing part of the unemployment problem that exists due to the availability of jobs for which graduates do not have the necessary skills.
During the event, the Foundation also launched the “Global Alliance for Skills Development”, whose first meeting will be held during the ninth session of the “Knowledge Summit” hosted by the Emirate of Dubai in November 2024. This alliance reflects the major role played by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation in stimulating… Innovation and achieving sustainable development goals.
Jamal bin Huwaireb, Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, stressed that the launch of the Future Skills Academy represents a pioneering step in the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation’s journey to empower future generations and provide them with the tools that allow them to create sustainable solutions. He said: “This step reflects the institution’s mission centered around spreading knowledge globally for the development of societies. The Academy also embodies our constant keenness to reduce disparities and enhance the knowledge economy and human development throughout the Arab region, by connecting individuals with the required skills, and linking learning directly to job opportunities.” “
Bin Huwaireb added: “We view the academy project as a strategic investment in the future of the Arab region, which consolidates Dubai’s position as a global knowledge city and creates a generation of skilled young people with qualitative capabilities that make it easier for them to face the challenges of sustainable development and give them tools to propose successful solutions to address them.”
For his part, Dr. Abdullah Al-Dardari, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director of the Regional Office for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme, said: “The project to launch an academy for advanced skills comes as an important development within our ongoing strategic partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, and this represents The Academy is a pivotal step towards building a comprehensive and sustainable future, as it will contribute to bridging the digital gap in the Arab region, as well as enhancing digital capabilities and providing local communities with the skills they need to keep pace with the rapid transformations in today’s world, by providing practical and innovative tools that are indispensable for individuals and companies to benefit from. “One of the opportunities provided by the digital economy that prevails in our world today.”
In the same context; In the first phase, the Academy will offer a range of accredited and guided programs and courses, both online and in-person, with the aim of equipping students, professionals, entrepreneurs, teachers and government officials with the skills of the future. It will also constitute a new knowledge drive that serves many global initiatives related to digitization and digital transformation, such as the “Digitization for Sustainable Development Initiative,” which reflects the integration between the initiatives of the United Nations Development Program and the continuous support from the Foundation.
The academy will also contribute to improving the skills of young people in various sectors such as health, education, environment, government and politics, as young people constitute nearly half of the region’s population, and approximately a quarter of them suffer from unemployment, while the rest are preparing to enter the labor market.
Figures and statistics indicate that the Arab region faces a major challenge represented by the widening gap between the skills possessed by individuals and those required by sectors. Since 2022, 70% of the population of the Arab region has been able to connect to the Internet, but “digital talents” make up only 1.7% of the workforce.
The Knowledge Project is the result of a partnership between the United Nations Development Program and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, to reach knowledge-based societies to achieve sustainable development, and contributes to promoting effective dialogue and raising awareness of the importance of knowledge and knowledge-based policies. The project also encourages the use of knowledge products, specifically the Global Knowledge Index, as tools for change.
