Arab Hope Makers Award Ceremony to be Held at Dubai Studio City; Honours Arab World’s Most Inspirational People

Dubai, UAE: 9 May, 2017

UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has announced that the winner of the Arab Hope Makers initiative will be honoured at a ceremony to be held on May 18 at the Sound Stage in Dubai Studio City. The Arab Hope Makers initiative aims to shed light on the inspirational stories of people who provide hope and spread it among communities throughout the Arab World; it seeks to honour them, highlight their achievements in society and reward their journey, which leads to contributing to social prosperity in a number of fields. 

Arab Hope Makers initiative received over 65,000 submission from 22 countries; the ceremony, which will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, will honour the greatest Hope Maker, who will be awarded AED 1 million for his or her commitment to spreading hope.

Tickets to attend the gala award ceremony are available free of charge to those who wish to attend the event through registration at www.arabhopemakers.com. Various distinguished dignitaries and representatives from local and regional media will attend the event, which promises live entertainment as well as an evening of inspiration and celebration.

The Arab Hope Makers initiative, which was launched on March 1st, garnered 65,489 nominations in one month only. Volunteer-based initiatives were most common with 29% of nominations, followed by youth-focused initiatives at 19.6%, education at 19.1%, health-sector at 9.1%, media initiatives at 7.3%, and the remaining 15.9% dispersed across a range of different sectors. 

Twenty-two Arab countries nominated people in their communities; the highest amount of nominations came from Egypt with 22.3%, followed by Saudi Arabia with 17%, the UAE with 10.9%, Jordan with 9%, Morocco with 6.5%, Palestine with 4.8%, Iraq with 4.5%, Syria with 4.4%, Algeria with 4.2% and Kuwait with 3.6%. The remaining 12.8% were distributed between Yemen, Lebanon, Sudan, Oman, Tunisia, Bahrain, Libya, Qatar, Mauritania, Somalia, Comoros and Djibouti. 

Many of the submitted nominations revealed the stories of individuals who profoundly improve the lives of others in their communities. The stories also reveal the dire challenges that many people in the Arab World face, as well as the commitment and humanitarian spirit of others who generously give their time and effort to overcome these obstacles and spread optimism and hope.

Arab Hope Makers was launched under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives (MBRGI) as part of the Year of Giving. The year 2017 was announced as The Year of Giving by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and is in line with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s vision to create hope and optimism with the aim of instilling the values of goodness in the Arab World. The Year of Giving will also focus on younger generations, who can benefit from, and offer, a lot to the Year of Giving, including expertise, skills, talent and knowledge. Arab Hope Makers aims to honour and celebrate the people who, despite having limited resources and often being self-funded, are keen on supporting their communities, having a positive impact on those around them and spreading the spirit of hope.