Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber - Middle East Policy & Development
MBI Al Jaber: For Education, Tolerance, Peace and Democracy
Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber is a self-made businessman and philanthropist dedicated to education, peaceful coexistence, tolerance and democracy in the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA). One paramount belief underlies his activities: the key to putting the BMENA region on a new path is through educational, political and economic reform.
Mr Al Jaber sees reform as having five essential components:
- Education
- Good governance including transparency and accountability
- Rule of law and an independent judiciary
- Human rights
- Freedom of speech, including free press and media
Through educational and political reform, he is hopeful of a flourishing vibrant civil society in the region, and he has vowed to contribute to expanded growth and influence of civil society in BMENA.
He believes that political reform in BMENA is the key to fostering peace, tolerance and development in the region. The main obstacle in the region is the lack of accountability of autocrats who monopolize the wealth of their people through non-transparent governance.
Democracy as the key
He sees democracy as the key to resolving regional conflicts. Against the prevailing view in the region and in Europe that Palestine must be resolved before democracy and reform can come to the Middle East, his view is that since the rise in the 1950's of Abdel Gamal Nasser of Egypt, followed by opportunist dictators in the region, the Palestine conflict has been used to distract people from their own lack of freedom and economic progress.
Education and political reform
In order to ensure successful transformation, economic reform must go hand in hand with political reform. Education and political reform, employment and outward-oriented economic policies for sustainable development are the necessary ingredients for transforming BMENA into a region of peace and tolerance, and a vibrant part of the global political and economic system.
UNESCO Special Envoy
In recognition of his commitment to reform, Mr Al Jaber has been named by the Director-General of UNESCO as Special Envoy for Education, Tolerance, Human Rights, and Cultures to Build Peace and Democracy, and to represent the Director-General in all those capacities.