Jordan- In line with the continuous efforts to promote the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) as an advocacy tool and to widely disseminate and embed it in policy debates, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), under the umbrella of the Knowledge Project, held the Knowledge Week in Jordan from 24-28 March 2019.

In its second year, the Knowledge Week in Jordan consisted of a series of university gatherings with students and professors, including Hashemite University on March 24 and the University of Jordan on March 25, and a youth competition which led to a Global Knowledge Index (GKI) 3-day Workshop held at Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation.

Under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Jordan Dr. Omar Razzaz. the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) 3-day Workshop was a major success, bringing together representatives from government ministries, leading journalists, frontline researchers, representatives from the private sector, students, and 60 youth from different regions of Jordan. The Workshop kicked off on Tuesday 26 March for a period of 3 days and concluded on 28 March with the participation of Jumana Ghunaimat, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications representing the Prime Minister of Jordan Dr. Omar Razzaz.

The primary goal of the Workshop was to empower the youth to explore innovative ideas that tackle development challenges. Participants were provided with critical knowledge tools to build their future vision of Jordan and create a meaningful impact. The performance of Jordan on the Global Knowledge Index 2018 will be the starting point. The Workshop saw the promotion of well-informed dialogue between youth, the government, and other key decision-makers.

The Global Knowledge Index 2018 ranks Jordan 76th out of 134 countries with a score below the world average. In that context, the Workshop encouraged Jordanian youth to design a detailed action plan to solve the intractable challenges preventing the Jordanian society from becoming a powerful knowledge society.

As many as 60 youth participants selected out of 169 applicants from different regions of Jordan worked on a detailed analysis of their proposed ideas during the first two days of the Workshop and presented their findings and recommendations during the last day to the decision-makers.

Participants performed analytical and logical reasoning to generate practical recommendations to help decision-makers in reinforcing the efforts towards building a strong knowledge-based society.

The Workshop was held under the umbrella of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) Knowledge Project in partnership with Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation and Ministry of Youth, Jordan, and under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Jordan, Dr. Omar Razzaz.

Speaking at the workshop, Jumana Ghunaimat, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications representing the Prime Minister of Jordan Dr. Omar Razzaz, who stressed the role of youth in building a knowledge society, saying “the presentations made by youth were really inspirational and we look forward to going in depth with their recommendations.”

Ghunaimat was speaking alongside Dr. Mohammed Suleiman Abu Rumman, Minister of Youth and Culture, Jumana Ghunaimat, Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications, Valentina Qussisiya, CEO of Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF), Saif Al Mansoori, Corporate Affairs Advisor to the Managing Director of MBRF, and Khaled Abdel Shafi, UNDP’s Director of the Regional Hub in Amman, Regional Bureau for Arab States.

Abdel Shafi briefed the audience on the latest achievement of UNDP and MBRF partnership which is the launching of Future of Knowledge Foresight Report during the last Knowledge Summit in Dubai. The report presents a pilot study, covering 20 countries, on the future fields of knowledge that will shape the future of knowledge societies. It is a new knowledge measurement tool using big data designed to better understand the future of knowledge.

The opening session of the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) 3-day Workshop was followed by a discussion with youth on ‘Media as a source of knowledge’ led by the Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications, Jumana Ghunaimat, followed by an open discussion on the results of Jordan in the GKI, which saw the participation of various experts.

In the last session, UNDP and MBRF announced the results of the Global Knowledge Index Youth Workshop, in which the two winning teams were offered a full coverage to participate in the upcoming Knowledge Summit taking place in Dubai in 2019.

Knowledge Week has catalyzed many collaborations and developments for the second year running. The Knowledge Week has been organized throughout the year in the Arab region, engaging policymakers, decision-makers, students, professors, and researchers, to drive active conversation and raise awareness on the importance of knowledge and knowledge-based policies for sustainable development.