Knowledge Summit 2019
Knowledge is the path to sustainable development. Such was the main theme of the discussions held at the Knowledge Summit 2019 in Dubai. Five thousand scientists and specialists from around the world took part in around 150 panels. Conference rooms equipped with the latest technological advances served as a welcoming venue for critical debates over a wide range of questions about the role of knowledge in solving the global problems of mankind, such as poverty and hunger, social inequality and global prosperity, climate change and environmental protection. Experts from the Planetary Development Institute took an active part in these discussions.
This was the sixth time that the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation has sponsored this annual academic conference. The goal of the forum was to offer a global knowledge platform by bringing together experts and decision makers from around the world to exchange expertise and best practices, and showcase solutions that will address the challenges facing sustainable development. Knowledge Summit 2019 is an example of successful international cooperation within the framework of a UN program designed to involve people in the information society and stimulate their comprehensive development. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out 17 sustainable development goals. They are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere. In 2015, all UN member states voted to adopt these goals together with a 15-year plan to achieve them.
Dubai is an ultramodern, innovative metropolis with a powerful infrastructure, where representatives of many nations, religions and cultures live together and where people enjoy the fruits of their labor in peace and harmony.
The United Arab Emirates highly values constructive, innovative ideas in basic and experimental science, not only in technology and the natural sciences, but also in the humanities. They have created an integrated ecosystem, and, in 2018, the country’s government launched the UAE Centennial 2071 project to make the UAE the best country in the world by 2071.
Several promising models of sustainable development were presented at the summit in the areas of economics, the environment, social relations and international cooperation. Detailed materials are available on the conference website.