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Dubai: The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiative (MBRGI), in partnership with the UpLink platform operated by the World Economic Forum (WEF), has announced a Dh11 million (over $3 million )’s grant program with the goal of contributing to ending hunger and improving the resilience, sustainability and health of food and water systems around the world
MBRGI has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform to strengthen the Food Innovation Center global initiative. Overall, the partnership aims to promote joint efforts to drive food innovation.
The new cooperation agreement was announced during the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, from January 15 to 19. The agreement is part of a series of programs and initiatives implemented by the Emirates Food Innovation Center, in partnership with MBRGI and the World Economic Forum, during the 28th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP28) to be held in Dubai Expo City in December 2023 Initiate. The Emirates Food Innovation Center aims to drive innovation and strengthen food production mechanisms to ensure sustainable access to food.
Through the global Uplink and Food Innovation Hubs, the partnership aims to invest in innovative ideas and solutions for food insecurity, supporting and empowering innovators in the food systems sector by providing the necessary resources to help them turn their ideas into reality. and facilitate the launch of their projects. It will also enable them to leverage MBRGI’s extensive experience gained in humanitarian aid and relief work and its other pillars.
Through this programme, MBRGI hopes to promote creative initiatives on a larger scale to increase engagement in a number of pressing humanitarian challenges, including access to food, education, healthcare, employment and social protection.
Saeed Al Eter, Assistant Secretary-General of MBRGI, said: “MBRGI continues to launch projects and programs based on a humanitarian vision that aims to positively impact the poor by enabling them to obtain essential goods and live a better life. Transforming the lives of tens of millions of people. With dignity. Partnerships are key to achieving these lofty goals and MBRGI was created to do just that.”
“The grant program embodies the key principles of being open to new ideas, respecting and recognizing innovation, and promoting creativity in everything we do in order to create the positive change we seek on the largest possible scale. This It also represents an important step for agricultural innovation, especially in the most disadvantaged communities. The new agreement with the World Economic Forum is not only a key step for the UAE Food Innovation Hub, but also reflects MBRGI’s vision and ongoing collaboration with international organizations.”
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, said: “The well-being and long-term security of our societies depend on the resilience of food and water systems. Today, we are proud to strengthen our partnership with Uplink and the Food Innovation Center A partnership between the UAE and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiative, these platforms can drive collaboration and global innovation movements to ensure that millions of farmers and a growing population of over 8 billion people can benefit from fit-for-purpose solutions. Uplink will allow the search for innovators who will make a significant contribution to a sustainable and equitable future.”
The upcoming collaboration will highlight the Food Innovation Center Network’s current flagship programs while contributing to the creation of innovative solutions across network countries, including the UAE, where the UpLink platform plays a key role in sourcing and accelerating innovation in food systems.
Open innovation platform UpLink, with its unique methodology, focuses on launching entrepreneurial movements at scale and building bridges within the innovation ecosystem.
MBRGI has dozens of initiatives, programs and foundations under five main pillars: humanitarian aid and relief, healthcare and disease control, dissemination of education and knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship, and community empowerment.
In 2022, MBRGI spent AED 1.4 billion, benefiting 102 million people in 100 countries, of which AED 910 million was spent on humanitarian assistance and relief initiatives, benefiting 30.2 million people.
Among the initiatives launched under the Humanitarian Aid and Relief pillar, MBRGI launched the 10 Million Meals campaign in 2020 as the first large-scale display of food aid solidarity during COVID-19 to help those affected by the outbreak in the UAE. The 2021 100 Million Meals campaign expands the scope of previous campaigns to support 20 countries in Africa and Asia. This was followed by the “1 Billion Meals” campaign in 2022 and the recent “1 Billion Meals Donated” initiative to establish the largest sustainable food fund in 2023.
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