Arab Thought Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Arab Thought Foundation (Al-Fikr AlArabi) is an international, independent and non-governmental organization
founded in 2000, with a guiding mission to help advance the economic
, social and cultural development of the Arab region
. The Foundation believes that open and constructive dialogue between the business community, academic and civil society is imperative for the future development of the region. By sharing knowledge, nurturing creativity and building on this dialogue, practical solutions for the collective future of the Arab people can be forged.
FIKR is the cross-sector and cross-cultural gathering in the Arab world, bringing together a diverse community of senior academics, business leaders, representatives from civil society and most importantly, Arab youth - the future of the region.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
founded in 2000, with a guiding mission to help advance the economic
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
, social and cultural development of the Arab region
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
. The Foundation believes that open and constructive dialogue between the business community, academic and civil society is imperative for the future development of the region. By sharing knowledge, nurturing creativity and building on this dialogue, practical solutions for the collective future of the Arab people can be forged.
Activities
To fulfill its mission, the Arab Thought Foundation hosts a program of events and youth-orientated initiatives throughout the year, across disciplines such as education, arts & culture, science and technology. Central to the Foundation’s program is the celebrated FIKR gathering, an annual event providing a unique platform for ideas exchange and creative thinking.FIKR is the cross-sector and cross-cultural gathering in the Arab world, bringing together a diverse community of senior academics, business leaders, representatives from civil society and most importantly, Arab youth - the future of the region.
Objectives
Some of its objectives of organization are:- Assembling intelligent and insightful Arab business leaders to discuss local and global challenges.
- Determining how Arab executives are developing innovative solutions to the complex challenges in the areas of growthEconomy of the Middle EastThe Economy of the Middle East is very diverse. Composed of Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen the individual economies range from hydrocarbon exporting rentier...
. - Questioning the assembled leaders as to how they are balancing the responsibilities to society while building a successful business.
- Raising awareness of the values, policies and business practices of the Arab cultures, and their impact on the global market.
- Continuing to be recognized as the premiere conference in the Arab region.
- Offering program content that is stimulating, timely and meaningful, particularly for members of the Arab WorldArab LeagueThe Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
. - Fostering an exchange of information and deepening a mutual respect between Arab leaders and their non-Arab counterparts and providing value to new ideas, initiatives and relationships in order to encourage participants to be included in the future FIKR conferences.