Kingdom Investment Corporation Limited (KICL), a development investment company, is pleased to announce a transformative collaboration with the United Nations to bring stability, growth, and sustainable development to regions in critical need. KICL’s mission to drive impactful change in under-resourced areas aligns with its commitment to exploring innovative strategies that create long-term stability. Through its ODT Funding Program, KICL is expanding beyond traditional corporate and private sector funding to offer comprehensive professional services that maximize development value. The program also prioritizes partnerships with international organizations and development institutions, creating direct impacts in developing regions.
In partnership with the UN, KICL is developing innovative models for cooperation across key sectors to address today’s most pressing global challenges. The objectives of this collaboration include exploring new pathways for corporate and private sector participation in UN initiatives. Through dedicated funding programs within the UN, the UN Foundation network, and sector-specific collaborations, KICL seeks to create structured opportunities for corporate and private entities to contribute directly to global development efforts.
Additionally, KICL aims to establish trans-sectoral or inter-sectoral programs that bridge information sharing and collaboration gaps across various UN agencies. Projects like the "One Map" initiative, spanning over 20 UN agencies, exemplify how KICL is helping to foster an interoperable data-sharing infrastructure that will improve both resource efficiency and project outcomes. By consolidating information and resources, these programs will be able to respond more effectively to complex global challenges.
The collaboration with the UN also focuses on developing public-private partnership models with UN member states. This effort encourages UN member states to co-create and support public-private partnerships, offering sustainable pathways for both regional and international development. KICL’s strategic approach aims to bolster the collective impact of public and private sectors in addressing global needs, from humanitarian aid to sustainable economic growth. Through these structured collaborations, KICL is poised to contribute lasting and meaningful change to areas in urgent need, advancing global stability, peace, and sustainable progress.
One Map, One Humanity
The collaboration project between the United Nations and Kingdom Investment Corporation Limited, titled "One Map, One Humanity," aims to create a unified geospatial intelligence platform designed to enhance data-driven solutions for sustainable development. The core of this initiative is the development of the "One UN Geospatial Situation Room," which centralizes a vast array of geospatial data from the UN's numerous agencies, funds, and programs, addressing the common problem of data siloing and promoting a collaborative, interoperable data ecosystem. By establishing a cohesive infrastructure with the "One Map" as its foundation, the project will provide essential data and predictive analytics to accelerate progress toward the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local, national, and regional levels.
The platform will enable a real-time flow of geospatial information, supporting adaptive decision-making and fostering development investments that address pressing issues in vulnerable communities and developing regions. At the regional level, the project aims to streamline intergovernmental data management, while at the national and municipal levels, it will support technical data harmonization and infrastructure projects that benefit local communities. In particular, the project encourages citizen participation, empowering communities to contribute to geospatial data collection and use it in localized sustainable development efforts. Examples include applications in Pacific island communities by UN ESCAP and urban development initiatives in African cities led by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
Key principles of the project include creating an open-source, interoperable geospatial infrastructure, promoting decentralized management through regional operational groups, and establishing a sustainable funding model through multi-stakeholder finance mechanisms. The expected outcomes include the development of geospatial infrastructure services at the global and regional scales, early-warning systems for national impacts, and data-driven actions supporting local communities.
Set to begin in May 2024, the three-year initiative will involve multiple global events to foster collaboration and set milestones, including conferences in Valentia, Geneva, and Istanbul, with subsequent events aligned with major UN gatherings. Through this ambitious collaboration, the UN and Kingdom Investment Corporation aim to create a model for sustainable geospatial data management, addressing critical development challenges and advancing the SDGs on a global scale.
Culture and Creative Industry Development Program
Kingdom Investment Corporation Limited (KICL) is exploring the launch of a culture and creative industry development program within the United Nations (UN) framework to advance economic and social progress globally. Recognizing the UN’s designation of the creative industry as a critical driver of sustainable development, KICL aims to leverage the sector's potential to contribute meaningfully to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly by fostering employment, cultural preservation, and innovation in developing regions.
The envisioned program draws on successful precedent models like the UNCTAD’s "Leapfrog Development Strategy" and the European Commission's "Horizon Europe" initiative. UNCTAD’s approach promotes the cultural sector as a springboard for economic growth, especially in developing countries, by supporting cultural institutions, offering technical training, and increasing employment within the creative economy. Likewise, the European Commission’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) foster sectoral innovation by creating dedicated hubs for industry development. This model aligns with KICL’s 9 Boxes Strategy, which supports sector-specific investment and growth through knowledge-sharing, incubation, and innovation.
The proposed KICL initiative will focus on critical areas including intellectual property (IP) management, sectoral innovation, and sustainable funding. The program aims to address key challenges faced by cultural and creative sectors, such as fragmented markets, technological disruption, and a shortage of entrepreneurship skills. By emphasizing skills development, IP rights, and financial sustainability, the program will help creative sectors establish resilient, self-sustaining business models.
KICL’s program seeks to create a network of Knowledge and Innovation Communities in collaboration with the UN to support regional cultural projects, incubate new enterprises, and stimulate innovation. This would include training for future cultural entrepreneurs and delivering innovative solutions that address local challenges. These efforts are projected to have substantial economic impacts, such as boosting intra-regional trade and job creation, while fostering social cohesion and cultural identity.
In addition to promoting sustainable creative sector growth, the program will contribute to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, tracking progress through impact metrics like Social Return on Investment (SROI) and SDG alignment. By partnering with the UN, KICL aims to harness the transformative potential of cultural industries to drive sustainable development, create economic value, and improve quality of life in underrepresented communities.
Humanitarian Aid, Security, and Peace-making
Kingdom Investment Corporation Limited (KICL) is poised to expand its global humanitarian, peace-making, and security initiatives through a multi-faceted collaboration with the United Nations. This partnership, aligned with the mission of the OAG Foundation, aims to provide essential humanitarian aid, foster peace, and promote stability in conflict-ridden regions. Focused on assisting communities affected by wars and natural disasters, the OAG Foundation will drive this initiative, supporting immediate relief efforts as well as long-term reconstruction projects to create sustainable foundations for the affected regions.
To further the goal of conflict resolution through diplomacy, KICL proposes the creation of a World Peace Forum in cooperation with the UN and other international stakeholders. The forum will provide a diplomatic platform where leaders, diplomats, scholars, and stakeholders can convene to discuss regional peace solutions. Initially targeting the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, where conflicts continue to threaten stability, the World Peace Forum will encourage locally led dialogue and action-based solutions to foster durable peace. By promoting multilateral diplomacy and conflict mediation, the forum aspires to address the root causes of unrest and inspire peaceful outcomes.
As a core part of its peace-building agenda, KICL envisions Hong Kong emerging as a global center for international arbitration for developing nations grappling with conflict. By leveraging the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), KICL plans to position Hong Kong as a neutral hub for international dispute resolution. The HKIAC will serve as a resource for warring parties, offering a neutral ground for mediation and fostering peace negotiations. KICL’s objective is to support Hong Kong’s status as a central player in Asia for conflict de-escalation and resolution, establishing an accessible pathway for peaceful dispute settlements that benefit developing nations.
KICL also aims to collaborate with the UN, various governments, and other international institutions to organize and deploy peacekeeping task forces for conflict zones. These security teams will play a pivotal role in stabilizing regions under turmoil, creating the conditions necessary for economic growth and social progress to take root. These task forces will ensure immediate safety while reinforcing public order, thereby laying the groundwork for sustainable development. By coordinating security and economic development efforts, KICL and its partners seek to help local communities recover and prosper, creating an environment where peace can be maintained.
This comprehensive approach to humanitarian aid, conflict resolution, and regional stability underscores KICL’s commitment to fostering a peaceful, equitable world. Through its strategic partnerships with the UN and the OAG Foundation, KICL aims to contribute substantially to global peace and humanitarian efforts, offering hope and lasting stability to vulnerable communities worldwide.
Next Step
As Kingdom Investment Corporation Limited and the United Nations embark on this groundbreaking collaboration, the potential for transformative change in under-resourced regions has never been greater. By harnessing the strengths of both public and private sectors, KICL is paving the way for innovative solutions that address the root causes of instability and poverty. This partnership not only embodies a commitment to sustainable development but also sets a precedent for future collaborations aimed at global resilience and equity. Together, KICL and the UN are not merely responding to today’s challenges; they are laying the groundwork for a more stable, prosperous, and interconnected world, where every community can thrive.
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