"The pinnacle of knowledge" Knowledge and sustainability are a path to building advanced societies
Dubai, November 20 / WAM / An elite group of current and former ministers and a number of officials and experts participated in the “Knowledge Pathways for Sustainable Societies” session within the activities of the Knowledge Summit 2025, which discussed the growing relationship between knowledge and sustainability in developing societies, as global knowledge indicators for the past year showed a close correlation between countries’ progress in the fields of knowledge and their level of sustainability, which made international experiences a main focus of discussion.
The participants agreed that building sustainable societies requires integrated strategies that link education with innovation, the environment with the economy, and society with knowledge within systems capable of transforming ideas into practical policies, stressing that the path to sustainability begins with investing in people, as they are the most important resource for creating a knowledge-based future.
At the beginning of the session, Her Excellency Dr. Hajar Amtul Warri, Minister of Education and Higher Education of Sierra Leone, presented her country’s experience in integrating knowledge into its educational system according to a future vision that places sustainability at the heart of the educational process.
She explained that Sierra Leonean universities implement sustainability practices and coordinate their operations with national goals by focusing on digital and economic skills, in addition to signing international partnerships to adopt the latest educational platforms and support the workforce.
She added that her country is working to spread digital literacy and expand the scope of smart classes to ensure modern and equitable education, stressing that the concept of sustainability has become part of local awareness and part of the role of universities in serving society.
For her part, Her Excellency Dr. Hibou Momen Assoso, Minister of Youth and Culture of Djibouti, reviewed her country’s efforts to accelerate digital transformation by establishing a national communications center aimed at digitizing archives and protecting documents. She pointed out that the government has established 45 national centers to implement sustainability strategies and train young people, who constitute two-thirds of the population, in digital technologies, innovation and entrepreneurship.
His Excellency Tom Ardimi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Chad, reviewed his country’s experience in expanding academic and vocational education by establishing 20 higher education institutions covering all governorates, with a focus on aligning programs with the needs of each region. He stressed the introduction of digitization and artificial intelligence in education to ensure the ability of young people to keep pace with global transformations.
His Excellency Professor Pierre Gomez, Minister of Higher Education in The Gambia, praised his country’s efforts to adopt a multi-faceted strategy that includes digital education and the green economy, explaining that the ministry is developing a national research network and implementing joint projects with the World Bank to integrate sustainability concepts into school curricula.
For her part, Her Excellency Dr. Hoda Babah, Minister of Education and Educational System Reform in Mauritania, presented an Arab model in developing education as a gateway to achieving sustainability, pointing to the broad educational reforms that included establishing comprehensive republican schools and supporting vulnerable groups through scholarships and free books.
She stressed that digital transformation and digitization of curricula represent a major axis in Mauritania’s plans to build an educated generation that will lead the green and digital economy and establish a sustainable future.
For his part, His Excellency Dr. Moataz Khorshid, the former Egyptian Minister of Higher Education, focused on the importance of human capital as a main pillar of the knowledge society, calling for adopting strategies for lifelong learning and instilling a culture of research and development from childhood. He also stressed the need to build a culture of innovation within an environment that respects freedom of opinion and supports community participation in decision-making.
His Excellency Dr. Tawfiq Al Rajhi, former minister and economic advisor at the United Nations Development Programme, also spoke about the complexities of sustainability challenges, stressing that they exceed the capabilities of one entity to address them.
He explained that integration between governments, universities and the private sector is the way to achieve balance, pointing out that sustainability is not an economic burden but rather a long-term investment in a prosperous future.
Dr. Nasser Al-Qahtani, Executive Director of the Arab Administrative Development Organization, spoke about efforts to support education and financing through banking and development institutions in a number of African countries, explaining that establishing an Arab center for the exchange of knowledge and financing is one of the most prominent initiatives that helped countries accelerate education and training programs.
For his part, Sami Damasi, Regional Director for West Asia at the United Nations Environment Programme, explained that the gap between environmental knowledge and realistic policies represents a major challenge for decision-makers, calling for strengthening regional coordination and building systems capable of transforming knowledge into practical behaviors.
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