Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the seventh edition of the Knowledge Summit, organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), will take place at Expo 2020 Dubai on March 14 and 15, 2022, as well as from March 16 to 18 through virtual sessions.
The seventh edition of the summit will focus on areas of common global interests, within an agenda that will address several key topics through various panel discussions on current and future challenges, as well as explore knowledge solutions with the participation of a wide range of experts, leaders, and government officials from across the world.
H.E. Jamal bin Huwaireb, CEO of MBRF, said: “The Knowledge Summit's topics have been carefully selected, as they represent issues of common global interest and impact. We are keen to present, through the summit’s sessions, broad and in-depth discussions to explore present and future challenges in all aspects and showcase the opportunities and alternatives that knowledge provides to help us achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals before 2030. These discussions are set to provide a clear picture of the practices that must be adopted in the coming years, to be adequately prepared to mitigate challenges and manage them in the best possible ways.”
The summit’s agenda includes in-depth discussions and talks on knowledge issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis that swept the world at the end of 2019 and continues to impact the community, as well as the possibility of delayed global recovery due to the emergence of new Covid-19 variants.
The summit will also host a talk on ‘The Role and Impact of Media During Crisis: COVID-19 (as an example),” which will shed light on the media’s impact on the awareness and education as well as its influence on people, considering the crisis that have led to behavioral symptoms such as fear, anxiety, and tension, amidst the spread of misinformation. In addition, participants will explore, through a session titled ‘Knowledge Drives the Future,’ the role and importance of knowledge in ushering the global community towards a better future and a more sustainable and prosperous economy for all.
In a session themed ‘Pandemics and their Impact on Climate: A Double-Edged Sword,’ the Knowledge Summit will examine the lessons learned to mitigate climate change and the impact of pandemics on climate, in light of the global climate practices and measures applied in accordance with Paris Agreement 2050, as a result of the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic during the past years, which has, in some way, positively impacted the environment and climate due to abrupt reduction in nitrogen and carbon dioxide emissions.
The summit will further explore practices that will accelerate the virtual education system and the future of education, as well as the collaboration of the real and digital world, during a session titled ‘Web Education 3.0 - The Metaversity,’ which will be followed by insightful discussions on the future of the youth in entrepreneurship in the session titled ‘Young Entrepreneurship.’
Participants in the session, ‘Food Security: Between Sustainable Supply Chains and Self-Sufficiency,’ will investigate how Covid–19 has impacted the global economy in the past two years and the role of the knowledge industry in developing economic systems that are resilient and adaptable to future crises. The session will review sustainable supply chain solutions aimed at addressing food security to fulfill current needs, while also securing future resources for the next generations.
A special session themed ‘UNDP and MBRF: A Partnership for Sustainable Development,’ will also be held to highlight the longstanding strategic partnership between the two entities as they work on the knowledge project framework to help achieve the UN SDGs.
Furthermore, a session titled ‘Creative Thinking: Working Towards Poverty Free Societies,’ will discuss the key strategies to help fight global poverty and how to decrease such rates by improving the capacity to fight poverty and increase productivity, as well as the relationship between educational outcomes and lowering poverty rates.
The seventh edition will also address the general legal landscape and restructuring of legal practices in the post-pandemic world under the session titled ‘How COVID-19 is Reshaping the Legal Landscape.’.
Mental health issues will also be given attention in a session themed ‘Mental Health and Pandemics,’ where participants will discuss key solutions that can help people address mental health problems brought about by the pandemic, which have led to conditions like depression and anxiety. The summit will further highlight the impact of the pandemic on the day-to-day life and activities of people through another session themed, ‘Epidemiology & Public Health: A Profound Impact on How We Live Our Lives.’
Knowledge Summit 2022 is expected to bring forth the key roles of knowledge in tackling global challenges and defining the alternatives to protect humanity. The event is organized in line with MBRF’s goal to promote knowledge in the region and world and seeks to support strategies and ideas that can help deliver faster and more precise solutions to health, environmental, economic, and social challenges, thereby paving the way for a better and sustainable future.