Dubai ruler in vast charity gift
By Jon Leyne
BBC News, the Dead Sea, Jordan
Sheikh Mohammed called for a "knowledge-based society"
The ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, says he
is giving $10bn (£5bn) to set up an educational foundation in the
Middle East.
The money is meant to improve the standard of education and
research in the region, and aims to stimulate job creation, Sheikh
Mohammed said.
It is thought to be one of the largest charitable donations in
history.
The announcement was made to widespread applause at the World
Economic Forum, which is being held in Jordan.
Sheikh Mohammed, known as a successful racehorse owner as well as
ruler of Dubai, said his personal initiative was aimed at creating
what he called "a knowledge-based society" in the Middle
East.
There is a wide knowledge gap between us and the developed world in
the West and in Asia
Sheikh Mohammed
At the moment, he explained, there was high illiteracy in the
region - where more than 40% of Arab women cannot read or
write.
The whole Arab world publishes fewer books than the country of
Turkey.
And spending on scientific research is only a tiny fraction of that
in developed countries.
"There is a wide knowledge gap between us and the developed world
in the West and in Asia. Our only choice is to bridge this gap as
quickly as possible, because our age is defined by knowledge," the
sheikh said.
While there may be less learning in the region, there is high
unemployment, and it is likely to get higher with a rapidly growing
population.
Iraqi schoolgirls
Educational opportunities are limited for girls in the Middle
East
"Our region needs at this moment 15 million job opportunities, and
our Arab world will need in the next 20 years between 74 to 85
million job opportunities," the sheikh told the conference.
"We need to develop the infrastructure so we can create
jobs."
Sheikh Mohammed hopes to increase education and research, and also
to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the
region.
"In order to realise these objectives, I have decided to establish
the Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum Foundation to focus on human
development, and have I decided to endow a fund of $10bn to finance
its projects," he said.
As ruler of Dubai, he can share the success of his principality,
which is known the world over as the economic success story of the
Middle East.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6672923.stm
