UAE participates in OIC's first science and technology summit in Astana

The United Arab Emirates is participating in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s, OIC’s, first summit on science and technology, in Astana, Kazakhstan, on 10th and 11th September 2017.

Dr. Ahmad bin Abdulla Humaid Belhoul AlFalasi, Minister of State for Higher Education, who is representing the UAE, in his speech at the preparatory meeting, said that Muslims have laid down a great human civilisation, and during the Islamic era, the world witnessed an unprecedented prosperity in the science of medicine, pharmacy, chemistry, astronomy, philosophy and others, thanks to the many achievements of Islamic scholars.

During the opening session, OIC Secretary-General Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen said that the Astana Summit would witness a historic milestone, as it will evolve a unified collective position at the highest levels of decision-making among the OIC member states, with a view to advancing the different fields of science, technology and innovation, while emphasising the Muslim world’s resolve to promote scientific and technical development.

Dr. AlFalasi added that the UAE believed in the importance and the role of science and knowledge, as they are the cornerstone of economic diversification, stressing that the UAE was a pioneer in many fields, as it officially entered the world race to explore outer space through its 'Mars Hope' project, the first Arab mission to another planet. The UAE aims to be among the top countries worldwide in the field of space technology by the time the orbiter arrives at Mars in 2021, as the size of the state's investment in the space sector has reached more than AED20 billion.

In line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE government has established supportive policies, such as the Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, which is a turning point in the country’s march towards progress, economic diversification and prosperity, and aims mainly to prepare the UAE for a post oil world.

The policy provides a comprehensive framework for building knowledge, and aims to increase research and development spending by three times by 2021, as well as increase the proportion of employees in the knowledge sectors to 40 percent by increasing the focus on science and technology, and engineering and mathematics in all educational institutions, besides developing research and infrastructure, and supporting entrepreneurship.

"The UAE believes that innovation is the capital of future. It is not an intellectual luxury, but one of the country’s renaissance secrets. The Innovation Week initiative, which is held every year, is a reflection of the vision of the UAE government to support and activate innovation efforts," Dr. AlFalasi added.

The minister noted, "The UAE has also entered the world of sustainability and renewable energy research, and has played a leading role in this field, based on its conviction that renewable energy is the energy of the future. The UAE has recently established the Emirates Scientists’ Council, which includes a group of researchers and academics, to provide continuous scientific and cognitive advice to the government.

The summit is important, as it underscores the member states’ support for scientific fields by demonstrating the Muslim world’s knowledge contributions, away from the negative stereotypes that have spread recently.