Dubai Development and Investment Authority (DDIA) launches Global Internship Program

The objective of this program is to provide high potential students with exposure to top economic development projects in Dubai.

The DGIP will enable graduate students to apply their academic skills to Dubai's ambitious development initiatives across sectors including humanitarian, tourism, energy, industrial, financial, entrepreneurship and policy development. The interns will interact with top business leaders and key decision makers in the Government of Dubai will be based in Dubai for a period of eight to twelve weeks during the summer starting 2005.

Saeed Al Muntafiq, Director General of DDIA notes, "Education and knowledge creation are central to Dubai's success and reputation as the Middle East's city of the future. The DGIP will help make the UAE an employment destination of choice for young, emerging leaders".

Dean Lisa Anderson of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) said that "An increasing number of our students are taking courses related to the Middle East and are studying Arabic. These students are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to participate in development projects in Dubai through the DGIP program."

Dubai, under the leadership of the His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has embarked on development initiatives in recent years to make the UAE the economic hub of the region through sustainable development and knowledge creation and extensively leverage international partnerships for success.

Graham Allison, director of the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government has expressed his enthusiasm for the program, "We are delighted to be part of the internship program with the DDIA. Last year we assisted with the formation of the Dubai School of Government. This new program will give our students an opportunity to take part in developing innovative strategies for economic growth and development."

According to Al Muntafiq, "We are very pleased to develop long-term partnerships with high caliber academic institutions and we foresee a strong and complementary long term relationship. Our aim is to further expand the program as well as the list of participants in the coming years to eventually attract talent from all corners of the world".

The DGIP has already generated strong interest from some of the most well-known names in education. The program's initial participants currently include Harvard University; Kennedy School of Government (KSG), Columbia University; School for International and Public Affairs (SIPA), MIT; Sloan School of Management and Johns Hopkins University; School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS).