The ruler of the Mideasts booming economic capital, Dubai, launched a 10 billion US dollar (55 milliarder DKR) foundation on Saturday at a Dead Sea resort during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Southern Shuneh, Jordan, to fund education and human development in region.
Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as the oil-rich United Arab Emirates prime minister, said the money, which he donated, would be used to create research centers, support university research and distribute scholarships to students.
In a speech before the WEF he noted that 18 percent of people under 15 years in the Mideast are illiterate (analfabeter) and that number jumps to 43 percent for women. He also said the Arab world spends 0,02 percent of its gross domestic product on scientific research, while developed countries spend between 2,5 and 5 percent on such research.
The new Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation will be based in Emirates and plans to begin handing out scholarships to students next year.
At the conference Jordans King Abdullah II urged delegates to think of the future. Of 325 million people living in the Arab world, more than 200 million are under 24, the king said. Appeals to invest in people were also echoed by other participants, with one panelist pointing out that only 298 patents have been issued in the Middle East and North Africa.
Meanwhile, the WEF Saturday released its latest regional scenario study which examines three possible futures for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The report, titled “the GCC Countries and the World: Scenarios to 2025”, presents three possible scenarios for the region over the next 20 years: Oasis, Sandstorm and The Fertile Gulf.
The Oasis describes a scenario where regional stability continues to be a challenge for the GCC countries, but they are nevertheless able to achieve substantial institutional reforms.
The Sandstorm scenario describes a future where regional instability is the defining factor affecting the ability of the GCC countries to effectively carry out much-needed institutional reforms.
The Fertile Gulf describes the rise of the GCC countries as innovation hubs in a global environment characterized by robust demand for energy and increasing globalization.
Further, Jordans king told a newly formed group of developing countries that prosperity would come by focusing on key areas for international assistance and enlisting the support of industrialized nations.
The new group – G11 – was launched by the Jordanian King during Septembers UN General Assembly meeting to unify the development efforts of 11 low-income countries, including Jordan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Tunisia, Georgia, Croatia, Honduras, Paraguay, Ecuador and Indonesia.
King Abdullah told the G11 that efforts were under way to institutionalize the groups relationship with the G8 “on top of the world”.
He said a white paper had been submitted to the G8 in March outlining specific areas where the two groups could work together, including “investment in infrastructure, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, scientific research and development, and technology transfer”.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
