By Special Correspondent
Doha, 1 October 2020 – Education Above All Foundation (EAA), in partnership with UNESCO, Qatar Mission to the United Nations, Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD), and UN Office for Partnerships, held a high-level virtual event on ‘Government and Foundation Partners Demonstrate Effective Cross-sectoral Collaboration to Meet SDG4 and Support the 2030 Decade of Action’ yesterday.
The panel explored strategies to strengthen cross-sectoral dialogue among countries, organisations, foundations, and policymakers to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal for education (SDG4).
A side session to the 75th meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 75) in New York, the event brought together representatives from government and non-government sectors interested in philanthropic contributions to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The event discussed ways in which to enhance collaboration among vital actors and institutions engaged in education, development and humanitarian responses to accelerate country progress on SDG4 and related SDGs targets, including food security and improved nutrition, health and well-being, clean water and sanitation, innovation and technologies, and climate change mitigation.
Highlighting the need to build on the progress made since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security in 2015, Mubarak Al-Thani, Communication Manager and Head of Advocacy at EAA, said:
“In a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the largest ever disruption of education, we must remember that education is an integral part of human capital and development, as well as a driver and outcome of sustainable development. To achieve the 2030 Agenda, the collaborative efforts of governments and civil society partners across sectors is critical and will impact on the future of young people and countries’ development for decades to come.”
“We are grateful to our partner organisations and the distinguished panellists, who came together today and jointly addressed key education-related targets and indicators in the sustainable development agenda. Today’s session was a step in the right direction to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all and to fulfil targets across the SDGs – the pledge to leave no one behind,” he concluded.
High-level panellists included HE Khalifa Jassim Al-Kuwari, Director General, Qatar Fund for Development; Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO; and Annemarie Hou, Executive Director a.i. UN Office for Partnerships and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Secretary-General, UN, among others. The closing address was delivered by the CEO of the Education Above All Foundation.
Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, HE Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, said:
“No single strategy can solve a complex challenge such as education. The 75th anniversary of the UN is another opportunity for us to realise the right to education – especially in conflict settings. When we work together, we mustn’t forget to place the right to education on the international agenda.”
Earlier this week, EAA also held a virtual youth panel discussion on ‘Youth, the Citizens of Change and Action for Peace’ on the sidelines of UNGA 75 to encourage dialogue with global leaders, academics, grassroots activists and youth advocates on the role of youth as innovators, advocates and changemakers towards the SDGs. Delivered in partnership with Qatar Mission to the United Nations and Search for Common Ground (SFCG), the roundtable called for the protection of education from attack as part of EAA’s years-long commitment to the #UniteToProtect campaign, empowering youth to stand at the frontlines of policy-reforms, and to become global citizens of change and action in their communities and beyond.
In 2017, EAA was appointed by UNESCO to fill the seat representing the foundations’ leadership role of the SDG-Education 2030 Steering Committee. Engaging foundations through this platform encourages the combined voices of all foundations and affirms the priorities of other stakeholders such as individual countries and civil society.
Under the theme of ‘The Future We Want, the United Nations We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism’, UNGA ran from 15-30 September, set amid a global public health crisis and the SDG Decade of Action. It commemorated the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and addressed some of the most crucial challenges in today’s world to inspire global collaboration and action.