Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation receives delegation from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Adel Al Shared, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, and senior officials received the Swiss delegation headed by Barbara Daetwyler, and included René Holenstein, Head of Division, Multilateral Affairs, and Christine Tobler, Programme Officer, Arabian Peninsula.

Discussions with SDC, part of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and funded by the Swiss Government, focused on several areas of cooperation including supporting entrepreneurship in Palestine and encouraging the youth to utilise their full potential despite the current challenges.

Adel Al Shared said:

"The SDC shares our objectives with regard to our efforts in leading the region towards economic and social progress. With its presence in more than 16 countries in Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Asia, we believe the Swiss agency can significantly augment our efforts in this region."

Sultan Lootah, Vice-President for Entrepreneurship and Employment Sector, briefed the SDC delegation about the Foundation's activities and its support to the upcoming activities of the Palestine Information and Communications Technology Incubator (PICTII) in Ramallah.

The visit also included a short presentation by Ali Al Shaali, Director of Publishing, highlighting the role the Foundation has assumed in the publishing and translation sector and particularly elaborated on the Tarjem and Oktub programmes, the training initiatives offered to translators with a special focus on poetry and litterateurs.

In addition, Jamal Al Shehhi, CEO of Dubai International Children's Book Fair, further outlined the scope of the fair's inaugural edition in 2010 and its focus on children's literature.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation is a non-profit organisation that aims to drive the region towards becoming a knowledge economy. With a $10bn endowment, the Foundation seeks to identify and develop promising institutions and individuals for guiding the region towards economic and social progress.