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Dubai Cares works towards universal primary education

A delegation from Dubai Cares, led by its CEO Tariq Al Gurg, joined representatives of United Nations aid agencies, heads of states, ministers, NGOs, policy experts, leaders of foundations, representatives of civil society organisations, academic institutions, delegates from member states of the UN and the business community in New York this week to discuss the next steps towards achieving universal primary education for children around the world.

In a series of high-level meetings convened on the sidelines of the 69th United Nations General Assembly, the global humanitarian development agencies focused on re-energisng the movement towards eliminating barriers towards education with a further injection of funds, expertise and global awareness campaigns.

The Dubai Cares delegation participated in a forum co-chaired by UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson; UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown; and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim to discuss the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI).

The forum seeks to address fundamental issues in the provision of quality, relevant and transformative education for everyone by 2015 and beyond. Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Chairperson of Dubai Cares, participated in the ‘Putting Education to Work’ plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative.

Commenting on the significance of the meetings he attended, Al Gurg said, “There is an overwhelming need for collective action towards enforcing primary schooling opportunities for every child. These meetings are instrumental in bringing together the best minds from around the world to exchange opinions and ideas, share best practices, highlight challenges and formulate solutions. We are all working towards achieving Millennium Development Goal 2 (MDG 2) ... to ensure that by 2015, every child will be able to complete a full course of primary education.

“Through these meetings and interactions, we are not only aligning our programmes with the GEFI and MDG strategy, but also leading by example and showcasing the UAE’s expertise in the area of humanitarian development.”