Co-founders of the AEON Collective, Princess Noura Turki Al Saud and Princess Mashael Saud Al Shalan and Tony Chan, professor and president at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the AEON headquarters in Riyadh earlier this week.
The MoU comes as a move establish a mutual understanding of the willingness of both parties, to work collaboratively to support the acceleration of sustainable development both nationally and internationally, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the kingdom’s Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
AEON Collective is an inter-disciplinary Waqf (A Non Profit Endowment Fund) that is dedicated to sustainability around the globe. The AEON Collective produces, curates and disseminates fact-based & culturally informed knowledge around sustainability, and actively build capacities for “knowledge communities” through multiple activities and initiatives.
Princess Noura Al Saud said in a released statement, “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.”
KAUST is a private research establishment and a think-tank for scientific and technological education aimed at solving tenacious global sustainability challenges. Both KAUST and AEON Collective are focused sustainability in support of Vision 2030 and the United Nations’ Global Sustainable Development Goals.
KAUST President Tony Chan said in a statement, “This MoU is a testament to the commitment that both KAUST and AEON Collective have made to advance education, awareness, and research on sustainable development.” He continued, “We 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.”
The MoU will strengthen cooperation in strategic projects and initiatives to advance sustainability education and outreach, the advancement of research communication and emerging sustainability topics, capacity building and the engagement of the youth in the kingdom.
Princess Mashael Al Shalan added, "Sustainability is not a foreign concept to us Saudis. Our forefathers lived a life that was sustainable by necessity. Their story is on of a resilient and resourceful communities, that occupied challenging and seemingly inhospitable lands. 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.”
Areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration between KAUST and AEON Collective include joint research initiatives on emerging topics of sustainability such as climate action, health, food, water, energy and ecosystem restoration, and carbon management.
