JEDDAH: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and AEON Collective recently signed a memorandum of understanding in Riyadh to boost awareness of Vision 2030 and its alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure equitable social and economic development locally and worldwide.
The pact was signed in the presence of KAUST President Tony Chan and the co-founders of AEON Collective Princess Noura bint Turki Al-Saud and Princess Mashael Saud Al-Shalan.
AEON Collective is a cross-disciplinary Saudi nonprofit endowment fund that aims to lead Saudi Arabia toward a more sustainable future by designing policies that benefits the economy, ecology and society.
In a statement, KAUST said the agreement will strengthen cooperation in strategic projects and initiatives in education, the advancement of research communication and emerging sustainability topics, capacity building and the engagement of youth.
The think tank for scientific and technological education and research added that the agreement was a testament to the commitment of KAUST and AEON Collective to advance education, awareness, and research on sustainable development.
Chan said they plan to build and strengthen collaborative frameworks that translate KAUST’s research into strategic knowledge for policy development, youth empowerment and engagement initiatives around sustainability, both nationally and internationally.
Princess Mashael said that sustainability was not a foreign concept to the Saudi people as “our ancestors have lived a life that was sustainable by necessity.”
“It is with that authentic Bedouin spirit, that we further cement our collaboration with KAUST, leveraging advanced technical know-how and diverse global expertise, to reclaim our homegrown path to sustainable and equitable development and drive the active pursuit of repairing our planet,” Princess Mashael said.
Princess Noura added: “We are steadfastly committed to advancing a Saudi narrative for social and economic development, rooted in our history and rich culture.
“Sustainability is inherent to our livelihoods and invaluable to our progress as a nation. We are delighted to formalize our long-established engagement with KAUST, which will allow us to strengthen our action-oriented partnership, and achieve long-lasting, positive impacts on the planet and societies around the globe,” Princess Noura said.
Some of the areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration between KAUST and AEON include advancing joint research initiatives on emerging topics of sustainability. These include climate action, liveability and health, food, water, energy security, ecosystem restoration, carbon management, and strengthening strategic engagement with key stakeholders.
The collaboration will see as a first step the appointments of Carlos Duarte and Raquel Peixoto from KAUST as members of AEON Collective working to advance efforts toward planetary repair, ecosystem restoration and resilience.
