ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi is hosting the event, ‘Convening of Champions,’ as part of the Ethics Education Fellowship Programme, co-hosted by the Muslim Council of Elders, the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Arigatou International, the KAICIID International Dialogue Centre and the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace, with the participation from the Ministry of Education.
The event will take place from 23rd to 25th April 2024 and comprises a two-day technical discussion, the sharing and development of collaborative plans, and a one-day high-level segment.
The programme was launched with the engagement of the ministries of education of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, Nepal, and Seychelles as a unique collaborative effort to promote ethics education, which will contribute to global citizenship and building.
The programme’s first phase trained 324 teachers and successfully reached 8,234 children across all six participatin
g countries, helping to strengthen social cohesion.
The meeting in Abu Dhabi is a milestone for the programme and an opportunity to promote its importance and current success. It aims to provide a platform for discussing the critical need to prioritise and invest in ethics education, share the results of the programme’s implementation in six countries, discuss the lessons learnt, and provide critical recommendations to various stakeholders.
The meeting’s high-level meeting aims to highlight the critical role of ethics education in the current context and how it can address the needs of children to support their holistic well-being. The technical meetings will offer the opportunity for fellows, partners, and other stakeholders to share experiences and results, discuss challenges and opportunities, and explore the scalability and sustainability of their national ethics education programmes and collaborations.
At the start of the meeting, Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Elders,
and Dr. Khalid Al Ghaith, Secretary-General of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, welcomed the participants to the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, a beacon of tolerance and acceptance that hosted the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity, a landmark agreement co-signed by His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church.
They also expressed their hope that the gathering of elite educational and intellectual leaders, as well as administrative leaders in the field of education from various countries, will inspire those involved in education and curriculum development worldwide to instil ethical and humanitarian values in children and build generations capable of achieving peaceful coexistence, acceptance, and respect for cultural, religious, and social diversity.
Scheherazade Feddal, Senior Education Programme Specialist at UNESCO’s Regional Office for Eastern Africa, said, ‘Education is transformative, which can nurture relations between
people in today’s world more than ever. The challenges we face today are far greater with the rise of hate and discrimination, and education is a powerful instrument that brings hope and can transform people’s lives by providing hope and being a catalyst for change.’
Maria Lucia Uribe, Executive Director of Arigatou International Geneva, said, ‘The Ethics Education Fellowship Programme has witnessed the participation of 8,000 children and inspired change in educational policy around the world. We are experiencing unprecedented times due to conflict and a lack of education and acceptance of others. The environment where children grow up strongly affects the path they choose to take in later life. Ethics education is not about teaching children what is right or wrong, but it is rather about sowing the seeds of change of positive relationships that can transform their communities.’
David Fernandez Puyana, Permanent Observer of the University for Peace to the United Nations Office, said, ‘This is a unique partn
ership that will foster global citizenship and partnerships, as well as build more inclusive societies around the world. Today’s meeting is an opportunity to promote this great platform and discuss the importance of ethics education for future generations.’
The programme will include several panel forums and workshops focussing on ‘Experiences and Lessons Learned from the Pilot Projects,’ ‘Strengthening Ethics Education at Country Level,’ ‘Strengthening Ethics Education in Education Systems,’ ‘Integrating Ethics Education to Education Systems,’ ‘Finding Synergies to Support Scalability and Strengthening of Ethics Education,’ ‘The Way Forward – Next Phase Country Presentations and Summary,’ ‘Ethics Education Fellowship – A Contribution to Global Citizenship and Build Peaceful and Inclusive Societies – Insights from Implementation,’ ‘Ethics Education – Catalysing Transformative Learning for Social Cohesion and Learning to Live Together,’ as well as ‘Country leadership and Commitments.’
Source: Emirates News
Agency