UAE: Education ministers, senior government officials, global policymakers, leaders of international organizations, and industry experts convened at the Future of Education Forum, held as part of the World Governments Summit 2026, to engage in high-level dialogue on the future of learning and the role of education in shaping resilient, inclusive, and future-ready societies.

Discussions throughout the Forum reaffirmed education as the foundation upon which generations are built, and as a force where a single, well-designed intervention can create impact that extends across societies and generations.

The Future of Education Forum at the World Governments Summit 2026 opened with welcome remarks by H.E. Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Director-General of UNESCO, who underscored the growing importance of the World Governments Summit as a global platform for shaping forward-looking education policy and strengthening international cooperation.

He stressed that the pace of global change needs coordinated action to ensure education systems remain equitable, resilient, and capable of supporting sustainable development worldwide.

A landmark edition with unprecedented global participation

The 2026 edition marked the largest and most senior Future of Education Forum to date, bringing together 16 Ministers of Education, alongside senior government leaders, heads of global education institutions, university presidents, representatives of multilateral organizations, and private-sector leaders.

The Forum brought together a distinguished group of global education leaders, including the Executive Director of UNICEF, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation at the African Union, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The discussions took place with participation of senior leaders from global education networks, alongside academic and research leaders from leading institutions such as Arizona State University, Stanford University, and the University of Hong Kong, as well as executives from international education organizations and education-focused technology providers.

This breadth of participation reinforced the Forum’s role as a global platform for cross-sector dialogue on shaping the future of education.

With more than 300 high-level participants, the Forum underscored education’s position as a strategic priority on national and international agendas, requiring sustained political commitment and cross-sector collaboration.

A global policy dialogue on the future of learning

Across a full day of high-level engagement, the Forum served as a global platform for shaping the future of learning, bringing together policymakers, innovators, and thought leaders to address some of the most pressing questions facing education systems worldwide.

Discussions explored a range of critical themes, including education without borders and advancing equity and resilience, who shapes the future classroom, whether every child can access education regardless of context, and whether education should lead technological change or respond to it. A dedicated ministerial dialogue focused on rethinking national education policies for the next generation, while additional sessions examined the gap between education expectations and reality in an increasingly complex global landscape.

Across these discussions, participants highlighted the urgency of moving beyond isolated pilots toward coordinated, scalable education ecosystems—aligned across public policy, industry, and higher education, and designed around the realities of youth and societies. This systems-level approach was underscored as essential to enabling faster, more resilient education systems capable of delivering lasting impact.

Bridging education, innovation, and the future economy

The Forum highlighted education’s role as a strategic enabler of economic transformation, workforce readiness, and social resilience. Policymakers, academic leaders, and industry experts explored how education systems must evolve to support lifelong learning, flexible pathways, and skills aligned with the accelerating pace of technological and economic change.

Discussions reinforced the importance of human-centered education systems, where technology, particularly artificial intelligence, serves as an enabler of creativity, personalization, and inclusion, guided by clear policy frameworks, ethical governance, and public-sector leadership.

Advancing access through global collaboration

The Future of Education Forum at the World Governments Summit demonstrated the power of global collaboration, showing how convening leaders around a shared challenge can drive meaningful and positive change for humanity. This was reflected in the announcement of a global initiative to expand access to education, addressing one of the most persistent barriers to learning worldwide.

The announcement was delivered during a high-level fireside chat at the Future of Education Forum, featuring H.E. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and Ryan Goodnight, Senior Director for Global Licensing and Market Activation, Starlink. The discussion underscored how education and connectivity can work together to expand access to learning at scale, particularly in remote and underserved communities.

Delivered through The Digital School, under Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and in collaboration with Starlink by SpaceX, the initiative combines reliable satellite connectivity with end-to-end digital education delivery, ensuring that access to the internet is translated into meaningful learning outcomes, rather than connectivity alone.

Phase One targets 100 remote and underserved communities globally, establishing a scalable model for equitable access to education.

The announcement was framed by a broader dialogue at the Forum on the role of education and technology in addressing global challenges, centered on a defining question that resonated throughout the discussions: should geography ever determine a child’s access to education?

A clear message for the future

The Future of Education Forum reaffirmed the World Governments Summit’s role as a global convening platform for addressing complex education challenges through dialogue, collaboration, and policy innovation.

The Forum delivered a clear and unifying message: education must lead transformation, anchored in human development, inclusivity, and long-term resilience. The scale of participation, seniority of attendees, and depth of discussions positioned this edition as the most impactful Future of Education Forum to date, laying a strong foundation for continued international cooperation and progress beyond the Summit.