Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, joined UNESCO’s Member States and Associate Members, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for a series of high-level meetings and events during the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 40th General Conference, which is taking place from November 12 to 27 at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris, France.

Dubai Cares supports two pre-pilot programs in Iraq and Colombia

Dubai Cares has announced an AED 2,351,040 (USD 640,000) commitment towards UNESCO Qualifications Passport for Refugees and Vulnerable Migrants in Iraq and Colombia. The two pre-pilot programs funded by Dubai Cares aim to ensure that the design of the UNESCO Qualifications Passport reflects the latest evidence and professional tools available for evaluating academic and vocational skills. This support also includes a key stakeholder workshop, capacity-building training for local credential evaluators and advocacy towards policy-makers and experts to support the new UNESCO Qualifications Passport.

Commenting on the significance of this new commitment, Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares said: “For many refugees and vulnerable migrants around the world, providing documentation to prove their qualifications can be challenging, as they might have missed out on months or even years of education before displacement and may require special support to bridge the gap of their lost years. Due to the significant role education plays in the well-being of societies, it is of paramount importance that refugees and displaced people hold qualifications that will allow them to be effective contributors to society in the future. We believe that our commitment to the UNESCO Qualifications Passport will facilitate refugees’ and migrants’ access to higher education and employment opportunities.”

The UNESCO Qualifications Passport for Refugees and Vulnerable Migrants is designed based on the already existing European Qualifications Passport for Refugees. It offers a multilateral solution to providing access to higher education and employment opportunities for the most disadvantaged people on the move. The UNESCO Qualifications Passport process will give an advisory evaluation of the candidate’s background and highest completed qualification, including both university studies as well as Technical and Vocational Training (TVET). To avoid duplication and unnecessary bureaucracy, UNESCO Qualifications Passport will be portable across national borders, so that the refugee does not have to go through a new assessment procedure in every new country.

Dubai Cares attends UNESCO’s Ministerial Breakfast Meeting

Dubai Cares also participated in UNESCO’s Ministerial Breakfast Meeting of the Capacity Development for Education (CapED) Program, hosted by UNESCO Assistant Director-General, Stefania Giannini. The event brought together 17 ministers, 19 beneficiary countries, and programs’ donors to discuss Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 policy-making and implementation.

Highlighting the importance of the CapED program, Dr. Al Gurg said: “Our support to the CapED program is in recognition of the need for capacity building to be offered to governments to enable them to pilot and test new approaches in implementing SDG4. From a funder’s perspective, piloting and testing is only effective if we take the time to learn and adjust course as needed. We are very excited to be part of this event which reflects on the key challenges to the implementation of SDG4, and we welcome this opportunity to take a step back and consider what actions or measures that are essential to move forward.”

Dubai Cares attends the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development’s reception

Furthermore, Dubai Cares attended other high-level events including a reception hosted by the UAE Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development on the sidelines of UNESCO’s General Conference. The event was attended by Her Excellency Noura Mohammed Al Kaabi, the UAE’s Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, His Excellency Hussain Bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education and Her Excellency Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Vice President of the International Publishers Association (IPA) among other high profile delegates.