A platform for positive voices from Mideast

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Saturday launched a global thought leadership platform to help frame and stimulate global debate on vital development issues shaping the Middle East.
The Middle East Exchange will commission original articles from international experts including Nobel laureates, heads of state, academics and intellectuals.
Articles will be published weekly in newspapers globally on a wide range of topics relevant to the region, from health and education to development and innovation.
Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, discussed the project at a meeting with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking after the meeting, Al Gergawi said: "The Middle East has spent too long in the global spotlight as a source of conflict and trouble. The vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is for innovative and tangible solutions that benefit people's lives on the ground. There is a huge appetite for practical ideas. The Middle East Exchange will be the number one global platform for positive voices and ideas for the Middle East."
Gates said: "It's great that our foundation has been working with Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid's team and Project Syndicate to launch the Middle East Exchange. This is an exciting platform to raise awareness, encourage debate, and promote local solutions to development challenges facing the wider region." The Middle East Exchange will be managed as an independent editorial operation by Project Syndicate, a global non-profit dedicated to distributing progressive editorial content.
Project Syndicate will translate all articles into at least 12 languages and distribute them to its 468 member publications, who have 300 million readers in 154 countries. Contributors to Project Syndicate include 45 Nobel laureates and 111 heads of state.
The Middle East Exchange will focus on human development, innovation, public health, education, tolerance, sustainability, poverty, youth, skills, employment, entrepreneurship, food, water, and other shared priorities.
The series is being launched with globally syndicated articles by Bill Gates, former UK Prime Minster Gordon Brown, and economist Jeffrey Sachs.
The project is funded by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the philanthropic and humanitarian foundation of Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will contribute articles and intellectual support through its global network of development experts. . - Wam

• UAE