The President:
Hello everyone, and thank
you to the President of the
United Emirates, as well
as your gracious host,
the Vice President and
Prime Minister of the UAE.
It's fitting that
you meet in Dubai,
a city that speaks to what's
possible when people of vision
and imagination can
pursue their dreams.
Three years ago in Cairo, I
called for new partnerships
between the United States and
Muslim communities around the
world to strengthen the bonds
between our peoples and to focus
on what matters most
in our daily lives.
Since then, we've come together
to foster economic development,
to promote health, especially
for women and children,
and to advance the work
that brings you here today,
the entrepreneurship that
creates jobs and opportunity.
Since the first summit
I hosted in Washington,
we've made real progress,
training thousands of aspiring
entrepreneurs with the skills
they need to create new
startups, helping small
businesses expand and hire
more workers, mobilizing new
investments and expanding access
to capital, empowering people,
especially women and girls in
science and technology, and
increasing exchange programs
for our young people, the
entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
This work is even more important
given the extraordinary changes
across the Middle
East and North Africa.
People are not only seeking
the chance to forge their own
future, they are seeking the
same jobs and prosperity enjoyed
by people around the world.
And just as democratic
revolutions can be triggered
by a lack of opportunity,
democratic progress will
depend on economic growth
that is broad and sustained,
and that demands entrepreneurs.
Here in Dubai, let's keep
creating the next generation
of dreamers, and
creators, and builders.
Let's close the skills gap with
education that truly prepares
our children for
the jobs of future.
Let's help entrepreneurs harness
the latest technology to build
new networks of cooperation.
Let's make it even
easier to access capital.
In short, let's keep doing
everything we can to help that
aspiring entrepreneur turn her
idea into a business that could
change her neighborhood,
her city, or her country.
So, thank you for being
a part of this effort.
This is one of those challenges
that none of us can meet alone.
It has to be governments,
the private sector,
academia and NGOs, all
of us working together.
I'm confident we can and that
together we can strengthen the
ties that bind us as peoples
and we can give our citizens
the opportunity and
dignity they deserve.
Have a great summit everybody.
