RIYADH: The MiSK Global Forum received valuable support as global leaders from the fields of politics, business, industry, technology and energy affirmed support to the call for youth entrepreneurship and innovation.

The forum, which closed on Wednesday, aimed to empower Arab youth to become global citizens and lead the way for the sustainable development in the Kingdom as planned in the Vision 2030 reform plan.

Praising the MiSK Foundation for organizing the forum, Shamma bint Sohail Al-Mazroui, the UAE minister of state for youth affairs, said: “We need to come together for empowerment of Arab youth.”

She added it is not only about the Kingdom and the UAE, but up to the whole Gulf and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to come together to unleash positive power of Arab youth, who will shape the future of the region.

Al-Mazroui said there were plans afoot for a partnership with the MiSK Foundation, possibly as early as next month.

Speaking on a panel titled “New generation of leaders: Changing the world with their own tools,” she said the UAE has launched a special initiative to include youth in every government and international organization it collaborates with.

“The UAE government is encouraging youth to take the leading role in all the sectors,” she said, adding that it will encourage them to contribute to the society.

Speaking at the forum Commerce and Investment Minister Majid Al-Qassabi said youth empowerment is at the core of the ministry’s development programs, and that the ministry is working on how to fund a start-up program to promote entrepreneurship among Saudi youth.

He said South Korea is one of the pioneers in the start-up leadership program, with a cooperation agreement in place on training and supporting the youth.

Sebastian Thrun, founder, chairman and CEO of Udacity, an educational organization offering massive open online courses, said technology is impacting business like a wave and has become a game changer, spurring new products, services and ideas.

He pointed out that education must be adapted to the modern technical variables, and use them to avoid of the method of memorization to e-learning, through keeping pace with the digital revolution.

Earlier, Omar Samra, the young founder and CEO of adventure travel group Wild Guanabana, set the tone of the day by sharing his successful experiences, how passion can define life and bring a breakthrough in one’s career.

Speaking on a panel titled “Changing the World: One Peak at a Time,” he said our journey started out of passion for travel, adventure and sharing those experiences with others.

Samra, who is an Egyptian, applauded the MiSK initiative aiming to empower Arab youth.

In a panel Joshua L. Steiner, head of industry verticals, Bloomberg, Jim Breyer, founder and CEO, Breyer Capital, Eric Trappier, CEO, Dassault Aviation and Kola Karim, Group MD and CEO, Shoreline Group, discussed the art of decision making, how one can lead and train for a decision in critical moments.

More than 50 CEOs and global leaders participated in the two-day forum.