Dubai: Dubai Cares concluded its participation at Expo 2020 Dubai with a path forward for global education transformation.
Hosted under the theme ‘The Future is Human’, Dubai Cares Pavilion attracted 246,720 visitors over the six-month period, and was the only non-government organisation pavilion at the mega event. This includes 1,275 school visits with 21,131 children exploring its various zones that offered a sneak peek into the future of education, skilling and work.
The pavilion also hosted 537 educational workshops that saw 10,570 children participate in interactive activities. In addition, over 112 events were organised at the pavilion that welcomed nearly 2,974 attendees, while 130 delegations comprising high-level guests and technical experts were received by the pavilion during the course of the event.
Dubai Cares Pavilion was also recognised by the EXHIBITOR Magazine’s World Expo Awards. The pavilion was nominated within the ‘Top 40 Pavilions People’s Choice Awards’ and securing its place as a finalist in a number of categories including ‘Best Small Pavilion’, ‘Best Activations (The Right Start Zone and Skills of the Future)’ and ‘Editor’s Choice Award’.
Dr Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, said: “The success of Expo 2020 Dubai in bringing the world together in the spirit of collaboration, innovation and ambition represents a new milestone achievement for the UAE, marked by a legacy that will be celebrated by generations to come. Drawing our inspiration from the event’s theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Dubai Cares was proud to play a role in further enhancing the UAE and Dubai’s position as a global voice advocating for education transformation through purpose-driven initiatives. Welcoming the world to our doors and catalysing and leading a movement that will go a long way in bringing much-needed transformation to our education ecosystem was a huge responsibility for Dubai Cares. We are proud to have fulfilled this responsibility successfully with impact through all our initiatives at Expo 2020 Dubai”.
Rewiring education
Dubai Cares, in partnership with Expo and in close coordination with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), hosted the RewirEd Summit in December 2021 to address the most critical issues facing the sector.
The three-day-long summit featured 500 speakers including seven heads of state and 33 ministers and brought together over 2,810 in-person and 1,492 virtual attendees joining the debates, discussions and networking. Attendees represented over 140 nationalities while speakers came from more than 256 organisations, resulting in a global dialogue that included a mix of high-level and technical conversations, with a strong focus on collaboration and partnership.
The takeaways of the RewirEd Summit are being captured in an outcomes report, led by the Education Commission, which will feed into the Transforming Education Summit, due to be convened in September by the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres. The report will highlight the case for investment and a clear call to action in the countdown to 2030.
Drawing on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, the RewirEd Summit saw the launch of the RewirEd Global Declaration on Connectivity for Education that was developed by UNESCO in partnership with Dubai Cares to provide a framework aimed at ensuring that connected technology better supports the right to education.
Shaping stories
Dignified Storytelling, a collaboration between Dubai Cares, Expo and MoFAIC, was prominently featured across Expo’s calendar of specialist programming, which reflects and celebrates the spirit of Dignified Storytelling throughout the six-month event. The Dignified Storytelling Forum brought more than 700 in-person and virtual attendees who heard from more than 20 speakers on the topic of adopting dignified storytelling approaches across policy and practice to help reshape the way stories are told in humanitarian and development contexts. A total of 13 events were organised under the Dignified Storytelling initiative with more than 3,000 attendees and 85 speakers and performers. Moreover, 925 individuals and organisations have taken the Dignified Storytelling pledge to date, affirming their commitment to the 10 Dignified Storytelling Principles.
New model
As part of its engagement at World Government Summit at Expo, Dubai Cares also launched a framework for a future-focused and human-centric education ecosystem. The framework stems from discussions and engagements that Dubai Cares led with key stakeholders from the global education ecosystem five years ago and continued through the organisation’s Expo initiatives, including the Dubai Cares Pavilion as well as the RewirEd Summit.
The new education ecosystem is set to be unveiled on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September during the Transforming Education Summit to be convened by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres. It also focuses on out-of-school children by facilitating their access to formal learning opportunities through multiple pathways culminating in certification and accreditation that enable them to access similar opportunities as their peers who went through formal schooling.
