Public-Private Partnership
MBI Al Jaber believes that public-private partnership is an important element in promoting effective delivery of public services and that by connecting the private and public sectors necessary resources can be made available.
The private sector can supplement the resources at the disposal of national and local governments and can provide increased capacity to offset public discontent when governments are unable to provide quality services. A more knowledgeable and capable human base will allow Middle East societies to tap into the potential of their human resources and provide their peoples greater transparency in decision-making and better governance.
Towards this aim, MBI Al Jaber has supported the training of journalists. In Mauritania, for example, his donations recently enabled the establishment of a radio station and newspaper in advance of the recent elections to help with coverage. He also arranged for the training of journalists in the country, by Nice Sophia Antipolis University of France, and according to the highest international standards, in order to ensure that the coverage was of an internationally accepted standard.
Knowledge-sharing
MBI Al Jaber also believes that the private sector can bring its business expertise to governmental organisations, hopefully enabling greater efficiency.
This dedication has inspired MBI Al Jaber to share his knowledge and perspective as a businessman from the region in seminars, lectures and conferences focusing on peace, tolerance, governance and sustainable development in the broader Middle East/North Africa. He also meets regularly with the policy community in the US, UK, France, Austria, Switzerland and elsewhere to offer a Middle East perspective on public service, governance and policy issues.
In New York, MBI Al Jaber launched the MBI Al Jaber Roundtable on Critical Issues in the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations in 2005 to examine prospects for political reform in the broader Middle East. MBI Al Jaber continues to demonstrate his commitment to public service, regional reform and good governance by providing forums to help the policy community gain a clearer understanding of the region.
MBI-UNDESA partnership
MBI Al Jaber’s aim to show how the private sector can successfully help government institutions and MBI has worked with both UNESCO and UNDESA towards this aim. MBI Al Jaber is currently involved in a partnership with UNDESA in New York to promote better public service and governance. The MBI-UNDESA partnership will help governments in the broader Middle East and North Africa catch up with modern techniques of knowledge management and e-government beginning with a pilot project in Mauritania, Algeria and Yemen.
For his dedication to governance and public service and his commitment to the promotion of public and private partnerships, Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, appointed MBI Al Jaber the UN Spokesperson for Global Forums on Reinventing Government in 2007.
Photo: Corpus Christi College, Oxford by Tim Soar
