Beginning
of global co-operation between national commissions aimed to strengthen
partnerships, exchange of expertise and joint action: Amal Al Koos
The United Arab Emirates National Commission for Education,
Culture and Science has chaired the first joint meeting of national commissions
at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, on the sidelines of the UNESCO’s General
Conference. It was
attended by representatives of the National Commissions for Education, Culture
and Science of UNESCO’s member countries from the Arab region, Europe, Latin
America, Africa and East Asia.
The meeting aimed to promote joint co-operation
for sustainable development among the member countries of the UNESCO, and
explore the best practices and priorities among them, as well as highlighting
the role of the national commissions in supporting sustainable development
goals, besides showcasing the UAE’s efforts in various fields and promoting its
international position.
At the meeting, which was chaired by Amal Al
Koos, Secretary-General of the United Arab Emirates National Commission for
Education, Culture and Science, the participating countries stressed the
importance of strengthening international co-operation to achieve the
sustainable development goals, especially the 'fourth goal' related to the
quality of education, which is considered the main pillar through which
awareness can be raised about the other goals.
Al Koos thanked the member countries for their
efforts towards unanimous views and common action, which would strengthen the
role of each country. Al Koos noted that the meeting would be the first at the
level of all members, as it included the various members from across the world,
and it would contribute to achieving the intended objectives, develop a vision
for close co-operation, as well as coming up with important recommendations to
strengthen the work processes and future mechanisms.
She pointed out that the members had agreed to
develop global initiatives that would serve the interests of all member
countries. The members also agreed to establish an international website or
smart network to serve the commissions as a communication platform among them,
she added.
She mentioned that the meeting was the
beginning of global co-operation between national commissions, and aimed to
strengthen partnerships, exchange of expertise and joint action.
Several recommendations were given at the
meeting, some of which were advocated by a few countries that felt the need to
have agreements on global initiatives, as everyone agreed that sustainable
development goals were the universal means to apply best practices, she
affirmed.
She said
that the meeting represented a global presence which reflects the countries'
vision and applications in sustainable development. This is reflected on the
constructive approach of all countries which set their priorities and adopted
best practices. Each country suggested ways for cooperation, she elaborated.
The priorities that were discussed at the
meeting related to the fourth goal, as it included empowering youth by
strengthening their technical and vocational skills, and early childhood and
inclusive education, in addition to promoting partnership with the private
sector, as well as the other goals related to the education of girls and
climate change, she observed. She maintained that each country clarified how
the goals and initiatives would apply to them, as well as the mechanisms of
internal co-ordination with the competent authorities in this regard.
She discussed a general summary about sustainable
development goals in the UAE, and efforts made by the leadership to promote
them while revealing that there was a supreme committee on sustainable
development goals in the UAE, which promoted their development. It is chaired
by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International
Cooperation, and this committee, which includes members from other authorities
in the country, studies all the files and goals and follows up on them.
She stressed that the UAE is attaching
paramount importance to sustainable development goals, especially the fourth
goal on quality education. She explained that the meeting stressed some matters
related to promoting the international co-operation frameworks and exchange of
best practices, as well as supporting the national commissions for each other
in terms of expertise and resources, visits exchange and involvement of each
country in achieving the desired goals.
Some suggestions about joint
initiatives were proposed driven by everyone's belief that joint action through
the sustainable development goals agenda will have a significant impact in
promoting the principles of tolerance and positivity as well as focusing on the
youth and striving to empower them given their vital role in achieving future
development as the primary driving force thanks to their skills and potential,
she added.
The closest country to the UAE
in implementing the system and the global agenda for the goals of sustainable
development is Finland, as we have both introduced the general framework at the
core of the national agenda, and the goals are assigned within the indicators
of the concerned institution or the entity, she pointed out.
She
concluded that the United Arab Emirates National Commission looks forward to
further work to achieve the objectives of UNESCO at the local level, and the
need to intensify and strengthen the work with the partners of the commission
from government and private institutions which we consider an important part of
the fabric of the UAE National Committee.
She
affirmed also the importance of fruitful partnership and cooperation with other
countries at the global level to achieve all the global goals using global
resources and expertise to better achieve the goals, which will eventually
highlight the efforts of the UAE and enhance its international presence.
The meeting was attended by the representatives
of the national commissions for education, culture and science of the United
Kingdom, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Slovenia, Finland, Canada, South Korea,
Kenya, Uganda, Caribbean States, Portugal, China and several other countries.
12/11/2017