The World Encounters Competition 2025, held in Dubai from July 20 to 27, introduced collectively greater than 4,000 younger contributors from over 50 international locations, together with a powerful presence from East Africa. Hosted on the Dubai World Commerce Centre and supported by the Authorities of the United Arab Emirates, the occasion drew greater than 25,000 attendees in individual and reached hundreds of thousands by way of international broadcast. It mixed sport, the humanities, service, and management improvement, whereas additionally reinforcing the worth of neighborhood engagement in worldwide cooperation.
The occasion was a structured initiative anchored by the Ismaili neighborhood’s decades-long funding in constructing international relationships and fostering alternatives for younger folks by way of training, civic participation, and moral management. The Aga Khan Improvement Community (AKDN) supplied the institutional spine behind a lot of this system supply and long-term planning.
The Ismaili Group and Its Roots in East Africa
The Ismaili presence in East Africa started within the mid-Nineteenth century, with early settlements alongside the Swahili coast and in industrial commerce hubs inland. Over time, the neighborhood turned an integral a part of nationwide improvement in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It contributed to the area’s infrastructure, training, and well being sectors, whereas additionally supporting entrepreneurship, social enterprises, and civic establishments.
A lot of this progress was formed by the management of the late Prince Karim Aga Khan, the forty ninth hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims. His dedication to pluralism, meritocracy, and repair helped construct a community of establishments throughout the continent. Underneath his steering, AKDN turned some of the influential improvement organizations in Africa, and globally, delivering tangible enhancements in public well being, training, and civil society.
Lots of the younger athletes, artists, and leaders representing East Africa on the World Encounters Competition have been supported immediately or not directly by these investments. Their participation displays a legacy that mixes identification with an unwavering dedication to constructing public good.
A Platform for Values-Pushed World Engagement
World Encounters started as a legacy initiative of the late Prince Karim Aga Khan, the forty ninth hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, designed to carry collectively younger folks from internationally in a setting that promotes cross-cultural dialogue, moral management, and repair to society. Over time, it has developed into a classy international program that continues to develop in scale and influence.
His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, delivers the opening deal with on the World Encounters Competition 2025 in Dubai, highlighting the UAE’s shut relationship with the Ismaili Group and the federal government’s dedication to inclusion, dialogue, and international youth collaboration.
The 2025 version in Dubai featured sport competitions, artwork exhibitions, service initiatives, and immersive workshops. Management periods targeted on sustainability, local weather motion, inclusive training, and digital innovation. The complete competition was powered by renewable power, utilizing Worldwide Renewable Vitality Certificates from Dubai’s photo voltaic grid infrastructure, demonstrating a powerful alignment with the worldwide power transition agenda.
This strategy displays the AKDN’s built-in mannequin, which seeks to stability cultural and social aims with sustainability and long-term coverage alignment. For governments globally, it presents a novel instance of what could be achieved when civil society companions are empowered to ship youth programming at scale.
Strengthening Ties Between the UAE and the Ismaili Group
The selection of Dubai because the host metropolis despatched a powerful diplomatic message. The occasion was held beneath the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The opening ceremony featured remarks from Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, who welcomed the worldwide Ismaili neighborhood and acknowledged the presence of Prince Aly Mohammed Aga Khan and Prince Amyn Aga Khan.
Video Speech delivered at World Encounters 2025.
Through the opening ceremony, Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the fiftieth Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslim neighborhood by way of a video delivered a message of gratitude that mirrored the importance of the host nation’s assist. He stated:
“I want to start by expressing my heartfelt due to His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and to His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports activities Council and President of the UAE Nationwide Olympic Committee; to town of Dubai; and to the federal government of the United Arab Emirates for the nice and cozy welcome they’ve prolonged.”
He famous that sport and the humanities aren’t simply types of artistic expression, but additionally instruments that carry folks collectively throughout borders. His message emphasised continuity of goal and the significance of constructing platforms that join folks by way of shared values.
The continued cooperation between the UAE authorities and the Ismaili neighborhood shouldn’t be new. It displays a historic and long-standing relationship constructed on mutual respect and a shared dedication to pluralism and civic improvement. The competition reaffirmed this relationship and expanded it by way of the inclusion of latest thematic areas corresponding to environmental motion and youth innovation. It introduced Ismailis from practically 25 totally different international locations culminating in Dubai, which is now being seen as a hub of worldwide tolerance, inclusivity and variety.
A New Period of Management with Prince Rahim Aga Khan
Immediately, the Ismaili neighborhood seems towards the longer term beneath the management and steering of Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the fiftieth hereditary Imam. His work not solely continues the legacy of his late father, however can also be targeted on advancing environmental accountability, selling moral governance, and increasing digital entry throughout the growing world.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan has already launched new initiatives inside AKDN geared toward strengthening inexperienced finance, academic fairness, and institutional partnerships. His imaginative and prescient is grounded in continuity, however it additionally displays the urgency of the second. He brings to the position a give attention to innovation and a perception that younger folks, if empowered, can grow to be brokers of significant transformation. The World Encounters Competition is a mirrored image of this strategy. It’s a house the place younger individuals are not solely celebrated for his or her skills, however outfitted to steer in areas that matter to society.
The Strategic Worth of the World Encounters Mannequin
For governments in East Africa and throughout the continent, World Encounters affords greater than a template for youth programming. It presents a working instance of how transnational communities can ship influence that aligns with public aims. From local weather coverage to expertise improvement, the competition intersects with key priorities on the regional and continental agendas.
Partnerships between governments and establishments like AKDN present a beneficial mechanism for translating coverage into motion, notably in training, civic service, and social enterprise. These partnerships additionally create platforms the place rising leaders can join with friends globally, entry new alternatives, and symbolize their communities in a optimistic and dignified method.
Reinforcing Objective By means of Participation
The World Encounters Competition 2025 demonstrated the potential of well-organized, community-driven applications to construct long-term bridges between folks and establishments. It provided a uncommon instance of how civil society, when supported by governments and anchored by values, can produce outcomes that serve each people and the general public good.
The participation of East African youth was a reminder that improvement shouldn’t be solely about infrastructure or financial development. Additionally it is about giving younger folks the instruments, house, and encouragement to take part in constructing their societies and contributing globally. Occasions like World Encounters present what is feasible when that funding is made.
