Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives

MBRGI defines its work under five pillars: humanitarian aid and relief; healthcare and disease control; spreading education and knowledge; innovation and entrepreneurship and empowering communities.[6][13]

Humanitarian aid and relief

The initiatives and organisations falling under the Humanitarian Aid & Relief pillar seek to provide urgent aid and relief to communities affected by crises and disasters. They offer aid and developmental support[14] for communities facing challenges such as poverty and conflict.

In 2017, total spending on humanitarian aid and relief initiatives, programmes and projects totalled AED 194 million, with some 11.4 million beneficiaries globally.[6]

• The International Humanitarian City (IHC)
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment[15]
• UAE Water Aid (In Arabic, Suqia)[16]
• UAE Food Bank[17]
• Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy[18]

Healthcare and disease control

MBRGI's work within the scope of this pillar aims to alleviate the suffering of communities lacking access to proper medical treatment, as well as dealing with basic health issues. It takes preventative measures against infectious diseases and contributes to the eradication of debilitating communicable diseases. Support is provided through awareness campaigns, treatment programmes, research funding and enabling medical staff and health workers.[19]

MBRGI's 2017 spending on the programmes and initiatives under healthcare & disease control doubled to AED 477 million, with some 7.9 million global beneficiaries.[6]

• Al Jalila Foundation
• Noor Dubai[20]

Spreading education and knowledge

MBRGI manages a number of initiatives and programmes that aim to combat ignorance and illiteracy, providing essential basic education in developing countries, while reinforcing the Arab region’s heritage as a centre of knowledge through cultural and enlightenment initiatives.[21] In 2017, the total expenditure on initiatives, programmes and projects dedicated to spreading education and knowledge amounted to AED 634 million and reached some 50 million people, an increase from 9.3 million beneficiaries in 2016.[6]

• Dubai Cares
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation
• The Knowledge Summit[22]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award[23]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award[24]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library
• The Arab Reading Challenge[25]
• The Mohammed bin Rashid Arabic eLearning Project[26]

Innovation and entrepreneurship

In 2017, MBRGI invested some AED 396 million in promoting new enterprises and sustainable innovation benefiting some 4,700 individuals.[6]

• The Dubai Future Foundation[27] (Formerly Dubai Museum of the Future)
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development (Dubai SME)[28]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Young Business Leaders[29]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award[30]

Empowering communities

With a 2017 investment in programmes promoting AED 129 million, these initiatives and programmes aim to unite communities under the theme of peaceful, cultural and intellectual exchange between nations,[31] and facilitate constructive dialogue between societies.[32] Reaching some 66,000 people with a number of forums and conferences that discussed intellectual, geopolitical and economical issues, as well as awards honouring people who have personified the spirit of giving, creativity and sporting excellence, MBRGI also focused on celebrating those who had made positive contributions to their communities.[6]

• Arab Hope Makers[33]
• The International Institute for Tolerance[34]
• Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Tolerance Award[34]
• The Arab Journalism Award[35]
• The Arab Social Media Influencers Summit[36]
• The Arab Social Media Influencers Awards[37]
• The Arab Media Forum
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Center for Leadership Development (MBRCLD)[38]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG)
• The Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patrons of the Arts Award[39]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid School for Communication (MBRSC)[40]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award
• Dubai International Sports Conference[41]
• The Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy (MBRGCEC)[42]
• Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU)
• The Middle East Exchange[43]

Three new initiatives were launched under MBRGI during 2017: the International Institute for Tolerance, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Arabic E-learning Project[19] and One Million Arab Coders.[7]

The Institute, the first of its kind in the Arab world,[44] aims to instill a spirit of tolerance in society,[45] building social cohesion and promoting the UAE as a role model for tolerance, working to combat extremism, and all forms of discrimination among people, including but not limited to, discrimination based on religion, gender, race, colour or language.[34] On 25 January 2020, The International Institute for Tolerance today announced the names of the jury panel that will pick the winners of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Tolerance Award[46].

MBRGI also launched the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Arabic eLearning Challenge in September 2017,[10] which seeks to educate future generations of Arab researchers, scientists and innovators, by providing an online advanced learning platform. The project included the Translation Challenge as its first initiative contributing to its vision of improving education in the Arab world. The Translation Challenge involves the translation and localisation of thousands of educational videos on the subjects of science and maths, making them accessible online for free to millions of Arab students.[26]

The One Million Arab Coders initiative sets out to help young Arabs become fluent in coding and programming, offering free training as well as providing students and tutors with incentives worth over $1 million.[7]

MBRGI's board of trustees is chaired by Sheikh Mohammed, with Crown Prince of Dubai Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum as its Vice Chair. Its Secretary General is UAE Minister for Cabinet Affairs and the Future, Mohammad Al Gergawi.