The Business of Hope

Sheikh Mohammed has often used the phrase that ‘we are in the hope business.’ I was asked the other day whether that means he supports ‘social entrepreneurship’, where a business is set up to have socially beneficial goals. I replied that this wasn’t my understanding, although social entrepreneurship can be a very beneficial approach to creating value and positive change.

Being in the hope business is a wider goal. It is at the very heart of our work at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the umbrella organisation that ties together some 33 charities, entities and awards that reflect His Highness’ many philanthropic interests. The hope business aims to kindle belief in people, that change is possible and our future can be defined by our actions in a more positive and sustainable way. It’s not just about providing immediate relief, but in supporting long term development, so that communities can take control of their futures and aspire to build a better, more inclusive and fulfilled life for themselves and their communities. It’s about resourcing institutions that serve communities and drive goodness and create opportunities that young people can believe in and reach for.

In creating that hope, we have the building blocks for firing true revolutions – intellectual, cultural and social development that empowers people and gives them faith that choosing to try and build a better world is not a pointless task or an empty gesture, but a true step on the path to defining a brighter future.

Making that long-term goal practical and sustainable has long-term benefits for a people as a whole. It creates opportunity, economic value and wealth. As His Highness once replied when asked if Dubai and the UAE had benefited from unrest in the Middle East, ‘We benefit five times more if we can enjoy peace.’

Peace, stability and development. These are the pillars of the hope business.