Senior Executives of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and international delegates of Rotary International, led by Jennifer Jones, Rotary International's first female President, convened at the Ismaili Centre, Dubai to deliberate potential collaborations between their organisations.
Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President of the Aga Khan University (AKU), Zarif Badruddin, Director of Finance at the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Aziz Merchant, President of the Ismaili Community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), President Jones, and Nicki Scott, the Vice-President of the Rotary International, alongside their Board of Trustees, discussed the opportunities of partnering to improve the quality of life in the areas of health, education and climate change for communities living in vulnerable conditions around the world.
It was further highlighted during the meeting that there is great alignment and many common areas of interest in terms of geography, objectives, mandate and programmes between the work of the AKDN and Rotary International. Dr. Sulaiman further suggested that a core group be formed to explore elements of collaboration between AKU, AKF & Rotary International, and the same was agreed upon by President Jones.