The world has changed dramatically since the last global gathering to discuss culture and arts education was held in Seoul 14 years ago.
As policymakers, ministers and international delegates convene this week in Abu Dhabi for the third Unesco World Conference on Culture and Arts Education, there are a number of new variables to contend with and a more ambitious goal.
“It is the first time that ministers of education and culture have come together to join forces and endorse a vision, a framework,” explains Stefania Giannini, Unesco's assistant director-general for education. The goal is to bring the pillars of education and culture together “in policies which can shape the future”.
The inaugural conference was held in Lisbon in 2006. The second, in Seoul four years later, resulted in international goals being agreed. This time, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the aim of a conference which brings together 190 ministers of education and culture is to agree a framework that can be put into action. Giannini believes it is important.
“Culture is, by definition, what and how we are, where we come from and where we are going to,” she tells The National. “It's about the shaping our identity. It’s about the sense of belonging.
“Education is a cultural process. It is transmission of knowledge, bringing awareness, whatever the topic. They really naturally go together. Both have a real transformative power, very much more than we think.”
The former Italian education minister notes that, although the two sectors have similarities, they are often viewed as separate and aloof entities. The conference in Abu Dhabi aims to bridge that divide.
“Having Unesco, which is a global platform, gather all these ministers together gives me hope,” she says. “We are not starting from scratch. We are building on robust ideas and visions: the idea that creative industries and the creative economy, broadly speaking, should benefit more from educational processes. They should include new pedagogies in their systems. They should be open to the educational systems from early childhood to university and beyond.”
The notion of consolidating arts and culture within school curriculums has been discussed in recent years. But the conference in Abu Dhabi this week seeks agreement from member states on the action that should be taken, while taking the new geopolitical landscape into account.
Giannini says climate change has emerged from the conference as “the big issue we have to address”. The other is generative artificial intelligence.
She explains: “The digital side of the world is demanding that politicians take action to embed a vision for using technologies including generative AI, broadly speaking, responsibly and ethically. To drive the technological revolution and not to be driven by it.”
Climate change and AI are new talking points to emerge since the conference last convened in Seoul 14 years ago. The other goals delegates are setting include making culture and arts education equitable; providing lifelong learning in cultural diversity; and incorporating digital technologies and artificial intelligence into arts and culture education.
The framework is expected to be endorsed by the member states by the end of the conference on Thursday, after which it will be put into practice by education departments across the globe. Giannini says that will be done by data collection and, for the first time, monitoring what is being done by each member state.
Giannini says Abu Dhabi has been the perfect place to bring it all together. “There is the ambition and capacity in this part of the world, especially in Abu Dhabi, to connect people through cultural diversity and the valorisation of cultural diversity,” she says.
The emirate, she adds, is also a conducive place “for innovating, finding new solutions and addressing some of the big challenges that we face.”
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
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Price: Dh232,500
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The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
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Wolves 0
Arsenal 2 (Saka 43', Lacazette 85')
Man of the match: Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal)
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
more from Janine di Giovanni
Three ways to get a gratitude glow
By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.
- During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
- As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
- In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.
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Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
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