When King Abdullah II and Queen Rania applauded Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's new initiative

At 2007's World Economic Forum, the king and queen of Jordan were present when Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid revealed his plans for a new foundation

King Abdullah II, centre, and his wife Queen Rania, left, applaude with other officials following a speech by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at the World Economic Forum in 2007. AFP

Incredible initiatives and world-changing policies are revealed at the World Economic Forum every year, and the 2007 event, which was held on the shores of Jordan's Dead Sea, was no different.

At the centre of this picture you see King Abdullah II of Jordan and his wife Queen Rania, applauding a speech by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, during a session titled Leadership and Education in the Arab World, on May 19 that year.

He had just announced the launch of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, with an endowment of $10 billion (Dh36.7bn), a major initiative to promote human development and provide hope and opportunity in the region by investing in education.

It acted as a springboard for many great programmes in the years to come, including Arab Innovation, Literacy Challenge, The Knowledge Summit, Dubai Digital Library, The Nobel Museum and House of Poetry – to name just a few.

“It is the ultimate form of negligence to know why we lag behind, and the dangers of doing so, and not to act," he said in his keynote address. "We have to arm ourselves with courage and work quickly and seriously to tackle the reasons that put our region behind the rest of the world and our era. I call upon governments, businessmen, civil society, authors, professors and the wealthy, to shoulder their responsibilities.”

Today, King Abdullah II arrived in Abu Dhabi and was greeted by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The two leaders emphasised the strength of the relationship between the two countries, including in terms of security as they "stand in solidarity with one another in the face of all challenges".

"The UAE is closely co-ordinating with Jordan on the current regional developments to protect the supreme interests of Arab countries and ensure security and stability in the region, including safeguarding the freedom of navigation," Sheikh Mohamed stated, according to Wam.