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29 March 2024

We aim to improve quality of life of 130 million people: Mohammed

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chairs the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of 'Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives' in Dubai on Tuesday. (Wam)

Published
By Wam

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday chaired the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’.


The newly established foundation is one of the largest development and community foundations in the Middle East and consolidates the work of 28 organisations focused on fighting poverty and illness; spreading knowledge and culture; empowering the community and driving innovation. In total, the foundation’s initiatives will implement over 1,400 human development programmes in more than 116 countries around the world.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Vice-President of the Board of Trustees, attended the meeting.

Sheikh Mohammed instructed the board to prepare an executive plan to achieve its objective, which is to reach 130 million people in the next 10 years. Sheikh Mohammed also directed the board members to consolidate their efforts to build the biggest humanitarian project in the Middle East and realise the foundation’s main objectives that include fighting poverty, dissemination of knowledge; community empowerment and innovation for the future.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; and Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Addressing the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed said: "To create tangible change, philanthropic work needs a clear vision, strategic planning, defined objectives and efficient management of resources. We aim to improve the quality of life of 130 million people, and my sons and family will be on the frontlines, leading this project."

Sheikh Mohammed added: "Our ambitions for the philanthropic activities are huge and we need a foundation to realise these ambitions. Previously, we could reach over 56 million beneficiaries, and today we are unifying our entire humanitarian activities under one umbrella to double this number."

Sheikh Mohammed directed the board to create a team to coordinate between the entities that are part of the ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ to explore opportunities, create a real partnership and maximise the use of all available resources.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, "The objectives of the foundation have been well received by our community. The new foundation complements the previous efforts of Sheikh Mohammed and its establishment paves the way for a new phase of philanthropic and developmental activities. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s philanthropic vision and philosophy is similar to his vision and philosophy for other sectors."

During their first meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a number of strategic initiatives and projects.

The new foundation is focused on four main areas: Fighting poverty; dissemination of knowledge; community empowerment and innovation for the future. The ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ will work on supporting and educating 20 million children; and the treatment and prevention of blindness and eye diseases covering a total of 30 million people until 2025. The foundation will also invest Dh2 billion in establishing medical research centers and hospitals in the region. The initiatives also include an investment of Dh500 million on research projects focused on finding concrete solutions to water shortage issues in the region, a key challenge that will only intensify in the decades to come.

In the field of spreading knowledge, the ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ will work on printing and distributing more than 10 million books, and the translation of the top 25,000 titles from various languages to Arabic. It will continue to promote a vibrant reading culture among school students. The foundation will support programmes that aim to see over than 500 million books read over the next ten years across the Arab world. The investment in educational, knowledge and scientific initiatives will total Dh1.5 billion.

The foundation will also focus on fostering entrepreneurship by supporting and nurturing 50,000 young entrepreneurs and supporting the establishment of new companies that will provide 500,000 job opportunities in the region in the coming years.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, said, "Mohammed bin Rashid has created a new model for philanthropic activities, a model that adopts principles of sustainability and international best practices in resources management. I call on the business community to participate in this effort and support the initiative of our leadership."

Princess Haya said that the Arab World is going through a critical phase, a phase that calls for leaders like Mohammed bin Rashid, leaders that give people hope and create real change with their path-breaking initiatives."

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of ‘Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi; Reem Al Hashimi; Humaid Al Qutami; Ibrahim Bu Melha; Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer; Matar Mohammed Al Tayer; Mona Al Marri; Sami Al Qamzi; Hamad Al Shaibani; Jamal bin Huwaireb; Raja Al Gurg; and Abdulla Al Basti.