United Arab Emirates: The Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, in cooperation with the Network of Institutions Working for Development of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Pearl Initiative, announced the organization of a conference specialized in charitable work at the regional level, which is the first of its kind since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On the 6th and 7th of October in Ras Al Khaimah.
The conference, which is held under the title “The Role of Private Philanthropy in Development in the Middle East and North Africa”, aims to play a pivotal role in enhancing cooperation and transparency and increasing the development impact in the community of private philanthropy in the Middle East and North Africa.
The international conference focuses on enhancing prospects for understanding and cooperation between humanitarian organizations, decision-makers in the region, other institutional and individual donors and the development community.
The organizers also seek, through this event, to provide a platform that brings together institutions and sector leaders to discuss opportunities to benefit from existing partnerships and to form new cooperation relationships to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
The conference will begin with an opening speech by Dr Giuseppe Ogazio, Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Behavior at the Institute for Financial Research at the University of Geneva, on the role of artificial intelligence and philanthropy in making a development impact.
The work of the conference will witness the announcement of the OECD report entitled “The Role of Private Philanthropy in Development”, which sheds light on the great role of philanthropy in the Middle East and North Africa, as it addresses data that review the required role of organizations and policymakers to accelerate The results of humanitarian actions in the region to ensure the achievement of development goals in it.
Dr. Natasha Ridge, Executive Director of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research, said: “Ras Al Khaimah has a long history of charitable work that stems from the sympathetic nature of the people of the emirate and their deep desire to improve the lives of others, so we look forward to hosting the most prominent academics and thought leaders in the charitable sector works with the elite institutions and companies in the region, to discuss new methods of work, contribute to enhancing the collective impact, and help support the achievement of development goals.
About providing access to the necessary resources to help them all achieve continuous progress and equal opportunities for growth. This event also benefits from the collective efforts exerted in various aspects of the charitable sector in the region as part of our organization’s endeavour to play an active role in enhancing Ras Al Khaimah’s position as a centre of innovation and excellence and consolidating its presence as a leading destination to stimulate dialogue on charitable and humanitarian practices.”
For her part, Ms Pathel Messika, Head of Networks, Partnerships and Gender at the OECD Development Center, said: “The first edition of the conference is unique in its ability to bring together philanthropists and representatives of the private sector, to share and exchange ideas on ways to sustain development impact at scale. We hope that the conference will constitute a turning point in the march of institutions operating in the region by unifying efforts, exchanging data, and adopting new methods of work to ensure a collective development impact.”
This event is the first of its kind hosted by the region for the parties concerned with charitable work in a step that enhances efforts towards exploring horizons of cooperation, adopting standards of transparency, and the leading role entrusted to strategic charitable work towards achieving sustainable development goals. The event also enhances the profile of private philanthropy, highlights the role required of companies, showcases best practices in the humanitarian endeavour, and inspires a new generation of philanthropic leaders.