Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, United States and Luxembourg held the top five positions in the Global Knowledge Index

UAE: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) unveiled the 2018 edition of the Global Knowledge Index (GKI), along with the launching of the world’s first Future of Knowledge foresight Report, a pilot study on the future fields of knowledge that will shape the transformation of knowledge societies, during the opening of the Knowledge Summit that took place in Dubai the under the title “Youth and the Future of Knowledge Economy.”

Under the umbrella of the partnership between UNDP and MBRF and within the Knowledge for All project, the results of 134 countries in the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) were released. The GKI provides valuable insights on knowledge assets that are key to more effective sustainable development.

According to the results of the Global Knowledge Index, Switzerland retained its number-one rank , followed by Sweden, Finland, United States, and Luxembourg. The United Arab Emirates broke into the world’s top 20 countries, ranking 19 on the global level and first among all the Arab states, while retaining its second place globally on the level of economy.

In addition to the GKI 2018, UNDP and MBRF launched the results of the Future of Knowledge Foresight Report, a unique report covering 20 countries, it includes a new knowledge measurement tool using big data. The report aims at better understanding the navigation of present societies to cope with the demands of the future fields that will shape the near and long-term future.

It alerts and guides policymakers, business leaders, researchers and civil society to the new emerging fields, i.e. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Cybersecurity, Biotechnology, and Future Skills that will become strategic for the future of societies. All we must do is put our future in focus, be open and collaborative, and use our imagination, as the reports states.

During the session “Future of Knowledge Model” Leif Edvinsson, Professor of Knowledge Capital at Lund University, Sweden, Jan Sturesson, founder of Resting – Advice from the Future, Laurent Probst, Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Luxembourg presented the conceptual framework of the future knowledge model, the factors influencing the future of knowledge, and how countries might be impacted positively, concluding that the foresight reports as the “Future of Knowledge” will empower forward-thinking strategy in the growth of knowledge economy and sustainable development around the world.

Organized by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF), the fifth Knowledge Summit kicked off on 5 December from Dubai World Trade Centre. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of MBRF Chairman H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Summit bears the theme: “Youth and the Future of the Knowledge Economy” and tackles the topic of the knowledge economy. The Knowledge Summit 2018 brings together over 300 speakers including experts, decision makers, and stakeholders from around the world in more than 45 discussion panels.

The Summit will also see an elaborate analysis of last year's Global Knowledge Index results to guide decision makers, experts, and researchers towards implementing development policies to improve the gaps.

Throughout their partnership, the UNDP and MBRF shared a vision of promoting knowledge-based sustainable development in the Arab region and beyond, through pioneering projects and initiatives.