Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy speaks during an event. File

Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, has reaffirmed the UAE's keenness to continue its support for quality education for women and girls around the world in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The minister made the statements as she participated in the Global Girls Education Initiative, organised on Thursday by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to strengthen partnerships aimed at supporting women and girls in developing nations.

Al Hashemy added that the UAE is working for enabling women's empowerment in partner countries by providing them with foreign assistance.

She described women's and girls' education as a catalyst for economic growth and sustainable development over the long run, noting the UAE's determination to develop legislation conducive to ensuring women's economic empowerment through entrepreneurship and leadership in a way that delivers a future that is prosperous, sustainable, innovative and accessible to all.

"Through its foreign assistance aimed at supporting digital education, the UAE focuses on providing women and girls with real empowerment prospects. We prioritise them during the efforts made to develop digital learning and development strategies in partner countries whose national education systems need support, specially after the COVID-19 pandemic heavily has impacted learning continuity in many of the countries that lack the infrastructure needed for online learning."

Launching the Global Girls Education Initiative comes in preparation for the Global Education Summit: Financing GPE 2021-2025 that will be held in London in July. The summit will be a key moment for the global community to come together and support quality education for all children. A centerpiece of the summit will be the opportunity for leaders to make 5-year pledges to support GPE's work to help transform education systems in up to 90 countries and territories. SDG 4 is the education goal, which aims to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all."

Within the same context, EXPO 2020 Dubai will host RewirEd, a global platform with a clear vision to rewire education for a prosperous and sustainable future.

Dubai Cares in April 2021 committed $2.5 million towards GPE’s 2021-2025 "Raise Your Hand" financing campaign in the Middle East. The pledge uses innovative financing approaches to help transform education in lower-income countries.

WAM