On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022 at Davos, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) has signed an agreement with the World Economic Forum (WEF) confirming the intention of the two sides to cooperate in the creation of the Global Platform for Food Innovation Hubs.
WEF established the Food Innovation Hubs initiatives to boost the local innovation ecosystems to smoothen up the food system transformation, and this latest global platform will contribute to focusing and accelerating the scope of innovation to improve sustainable food production mechanisms around the world.
Industry sources added that the novel Global Platform for Food Innovation Hubs aims to enhance joint international scientific and research cooperation in the field of food, exchange knowledge, experiences, and data to develop local food production systems, and support national and global strategies to achieve and enhance food security. In doing so, it will help achieve the United Nations’ 2030 sustainable development goals, especially the second goal of ending hunger.
The agreement confirms Dubai as the international headquarters for the annual meeting of the Food Innovation Hubs. It also stipulates that MBRGI will also join the Supervisory Board of the Food Systems Initiative and the Steering Committee of WEF’s Food Innovation Hubs.
His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Secretary-General of MBRGI, emphasized that “addressing global food challenges requires innovative thinking and international innovation accelerators through which we can develop modern solutions. The agreement with Davos provides a global platform for collaboration with all stakeholders.”
His Excellency Al Gergawi stated: “In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, MBRGI is one of the largest institutions, regionally and globally, to battle hunger and malnutrition, and provide less fortunate communities with food support.”
For her part, Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “In 2018, the UAE announced the National Food Security Strategy 2051 to develop a comprehensive national ecosystem that enables sustainable food production using smart technology across the value chain and enhancing initiatives that utilize research and development capabilities. The MBRGI-WEF collaboration to establish the Global Platform for Food Innovation Hubs supports that objective and will impact food security locally, regionally, and globally.”
She added: “International cooperation is key to determining food requirements of countries and communities for the coming years and decades, and the ideal direction to accelerate the application of research results, studies, innovations, and promising technologies in various fields of food production, especially in a manner that meets the demand for sustainable economic development and food security, while also preserving water and environmental resources.”
The agreement, which paves the way for three-year cooperation, was signed by His Excellency Saeed Al Eter, Assistant Secretary-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and Sean De Cleene, member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, in the presence of a number of officials from both sides.
The agreement, which paves the way for three-year cooperation, was signed by His Excellency Saeed Al Eter, Assistant Secretary-General of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and Sean De Cleene, member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, in the presence of a number of officials from both sides.
His Excellency Saeed Al Eter stressed that, under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives support all efforts aimed at developing mechanisms and techniques for food production globally and bringing about qualitative future transformations to deliver integrated systems for food innovation. They are also fully committed to supporting research and development, the transfer and dissemination of knowledge, and the integration of the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution such as artificial intelligence and data science to accelerate food security for countries and societies most affected by the repercussions of climate change, crises, and rapid economic transformations.
Al Eter stated: “Approximately 800 million people across the globe suffer from hunger or malnutrition. The crises that the world has witnessed during the past few years have directly affected supply chains, especially in the food sector, which underlines the urgent need to develop systems, options, and alternatives to enhance food production at national levels, and provide interconnected and effective food safety nets locally and globally.”
He added, “The world’s population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050. In this context, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives’ support for the establishment of the Global Platform for Food innovation Hubs, which will be present in 17 global cities on five continents by 2030, is designed to achieve a sustainable future for food production, contribute to meeting the demand in present and future.”
For his part, Sean De Cleene said: “Through the global network of Food Innovation Hubs, we seek to build a strong country and regional innovation ecosystems for the food systems to facilitate partnerships between farmers, innovators, financiers, governments, private sector, and other to accelerate and expand innovations, investments, and collaboration towards positive transformations in safeguarding people and the planet.”
He added: “WEF’s cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, which is known for its humanitarian and development initiatives that make a qualitative difference in the lives of communities around the world by sharing knowledge, empowering communities, and granting humanitarian and relief aid, will give significant momentum to the efforts of the Food Innovation Hubs. It will help create a global platform that accelerates the transfer of knowledge and innovation in agri-food systems, research, and mechanisms, expands cooperation between countries, and provides new opportunities to build a more sustainable future that meets the ambitions of individuals and societies.”
