DAVOS — At the Davos World Economic Forum, a group of young Saudis presented their innovative projects aimed to bring about change in the world. This was in the framework of the participation of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Foundation's (Misk) Initiatives Center at WEF, which began on Tuesday. Around 3,000 delegates representing global organizations and institutions from 118 countries are attending the 50th annual gathering. The theme of the conference is "Stakeholders for a cohesive and sustainable world," with a focus on renewing the concept of stakeholder capitalism to overcome income inequality, societal division and the climate crisis. The Center's participation comes for the third year in a row to deliver the voice of youth in the most important international forums and continue to enable them to make a positive change around the vital issues that are of concern to the world and to engage them in dialogues to open their minds to accommodate challenges. It also aims to enable them to take the lead to guide the global approach to address issues, and contribute to innovation for radical solutions in various fields, especially in technology. Throughout the forum, the Center's pavilion hosts a number of dialogue sessions, open discussions moderated by prominent speakers, and discourses on the required skills, entrepreneurship, global citizenship and the challenges ahead. The Misk Initiatives Center, represented by the Misk International Forum, would showcase Saudi art and allow guests to savor Saudi artwork through the work of young artists — Ahmed Anqawi and Muad Al-Awfi, which reflects the region's heritage and civilization. The Saudi Cafe, which comes for the first time in the forum, highlights the culture of Saudi society, which is a cultural platform that displays interactive digital content that focuses on youth empowerment. The Misk Foundation's initiatives in this field give visitors open spaces for discussion, communication and exchange of ideas, while enjoying traditional Saudi coffee and food served by Saudi chefs. The Initiatives Center also offers an opportunity for young people around the world to participate in the "#ItStartWithUs" which includes three million international partners, to participate in achieving the sustainable development goals in their innovative ways. Director of Programs at the Center Naif Al-Suwailem said the Foundation's participation for the third year in a row in the Davos Forum is a clear affirmation of its progress towards fulfilling its pledge, achieving its goals in supporting young people and highlighting their presence in global economic forums. "This is an extension of the Kingdom's 2030 Vision to integrate into the vibrant global mobile economy and participation in it, and progress towards openness in the world of finance and business," he said while highlighting that the Kingdom's presence with its institutions, youth and culture in Davos today, gives it a strategic importance and serves as a strong pillar to participate in managing future changes. The WEF represents a great opportunity to hold fruitful meetings with eminent economists and concluding deals with international companies to join efforts towards achieving the sustainable development goals. Al-Suwailem pointed out that what distinguishes the participation of the Misk Initiatives Center this year is that it celebrates the fifth year of the launch of its international platform represented by the Misk Global Forum, and its achievements toward realizing the objectives of Misk Foundation in supporting and empowering young people around the world. Since its inception in the year 2016, the Misk Global Forum has been working to disseminate the sublime message of the Misk Foundation among young people around the world, through research and global initiatives, in addition to workshops, held during the past sessions of the Global Forum that have benefited more than 21,000 people. The number of workshops in the Forum 2019 reached 55 workshops with the participation of 138 speakers. There were 113,000 young men and women from 187 countries among the beneficiaries of the Entrepreneur Cup. They joined hands with 204 local and international partners in over 1,500 startups on its platform, in addition to supporting small investors through its partners with logistical services that valued at SR70 million.
