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- Launch session to reflect on Sheikh Zayed’s vision for sustainable future
- Initiative takes UAE tradition of safe space for discussion to the world
DUBAI, 16 May, 2018 – Expo 2020 Dubai’s new World Majlis series is bringing together change-makers and aspiring leaders from around the globe to stimulate a powerful dialogue on how we can create a legacy of meaningful impact that reflects the World Expo’s theme of ‘Connecting minds, Creating the Future’.
The World Majlis session, held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, gathered thought leaders from various government, professional, academic and cultural backgrounds for an in-depth discussion about the lessons and values of the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his vision for a sustainable future.
In line with Expo 2020’s theme, and underpinned by its key subthemes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, the World Majlis has been launched as a thematic dialogue programme to facilitate meaningful global conversations and forge connections between people and new ideas, which may not have otherwise occurred.
The initiative is deeply rooted in the Emirati and Arab tradition of the majlis – a highly valued meeting space where people gather to gain different perspectives and share informed opinions to help shape decisions on subjects that matter to their communities.
Monday’s World Majlis, titled ‘Sustainability Through New Eyes’, was chaired by Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau. The session comprised 17 thought leaders, as well as 14 students and two professors from local and international universities.
Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy said: “Through the World Majlis, Expo 2020 Dubai wants to create a global dialogue by gathering people with diverse perspectives to engage in meaningful conversations that encourage them to look differently at challenges and create a real impact. Today, more than ever, we need to place humanity at the heart of our future. In doing so, we bring to life important subjects of global relevance.
“From the outset, Expo 2020 has been about so much more than the six months of the Expo; our aim is to support the UAE’s long-term strategic vision and the UAE Centennial 2071 plan. The World Majlis is aligned with this objective to inform a strong legacy by inspiring positive impact, throughout our journey to 2020 and beyond.”
The World Majlis sessions are bringing together current and future thought leaders from a range of backgrounds including government, technology, science, art, culture, media and literature.
Within each session, participants address a number of topical issues. During this week’s World Majlis, those topics included how industry can mitigate its environmental impact while pursuing economic growth; how consumers can be transformed into responsible citizens by changing the way we think about consumption; and how the power of art and culture can help shift the focus of conversations about sustainability from loss to opportunity.
Representatives from Expo 2020’s Official Premier Partners Accenture, Etisalat and PepsiCo also shared their insights from the leading edge of innovation.
Participants from UAE Government bodies and initiatives included Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Deputy Director General, Emirates Diplomatic Academy and Dr Majid Al Qassimi, Director of Animal Health and Development, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE).
Sass Brown, Founding Dean, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), said: “Topics like sustainability can be quite divisive but the World Majlis is a great platform to encourage conversation in a way that is not controversial. The tradition of the majlis allows that open conversation. I am excited that this is part of the build-up to Expo 2020 and that we get to participate, comment and be part of the process.”
Reflecting Expo 2020’s belief that youth must be at the heart of the next World Expo and its legacy, young people are among the participants of the World Majlis. This session included four students from Emirates Diplomatic Academy and 12 participants from academic institutions across the UAE who have benefitted from Expo Live’s University Innovation Programme, which challenges them to team up and develop solutions to global problems.
Sebastián Caro, New York University, Abu Dhabi, said: “The World Majlis has given us students an opportunity to empower ourselves and to step up and talk about important subjects, such as sustainability. The opportunity that we have to talk with important people with such diverse expertise and experiences gives us exposure that we need to take our ideas and make them become reality.
“I hope that 30 years from now I will be able to say, I was there, I thought of this and I was able to do it.”
A series of more than 50 World Majlis sessions will take place throughout the journey to 2020 and during the six months of Expo 2020, both in the UAE and abroad.
The World Majlis conversations will be available on the Expo 2020 Dubai website. You can learn more about Expo 2020’s World Majlis initiative by visiting www.expo2020dubai.com/world-majlis.
World Majlis Participants:
- Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau
- His Highness Sheikh Dr Abdul Aziz Bin Sheikh Ali Al Nuaimi, Green Sheikh
- Sheikh Dr Majid Al Qassimi, Director of Animal Health and Development, Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
- David Heard, author
- Frauke Heard-Bey, historian and political scientist
- Beatrice Lamonica, Strategy Principal Director, Sustainability Lead, Accenture
- Isobel Abulhoul OBE, CEO and Trustee, Emirates Literature Foundation
- Khalifa Hassan Al Forah Alshamsi, Group Chief Corporate Strategy and Governance Officer, Etisalat Group
- Dr Lars Heikensten, Executive Director, Nobel Foundation
- Marjan Faraidooni, Senior Vice President, Legacy Development and Impact, Expo 2020 Dubai
- Najeeb Mohammed Al-Ali, Executive Director, Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau
- Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Deputy Director General, Emirates Diplomatic Academy, and Director, Zayed Future Energy Prize
- Dr Olov Amelin, Director, Nobel Museum
- Omar Farid, President – Middle East and North Africa, PepsiCo
- Sass Brown, Founding Dean, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation
- Ramesh Shukla, photographer
- Alireza Haji Hosseini, Executive Producer, CNN
University Participants:
- Jawaher Al Mheiri, Emirates Diplomatic Academy
- Rashed AlTeneiji, Emirates Diplomatic Academy
- Mohammad AlDhaheri, Emirates Diplomatic Academy
- Ayesha Alawi, Emirates Diplomatic Academy
- Sebastián Caro, New York University, Abu Dhabi
- Julius Gruener, New York University, Abu Dhabi
- Amira Suliman, UAE University
- Sara Alameri, UAE University
- Bianca Greyvenstein, Murdoch University
- Graeme Smit, Murdoch University
- Owaish Mustafa, Murdoch University
- Vrushabh Chotalia, Murdoch University
- Nithin Sha Najeeb, Heriot Watt University
- Syed Talha Muhammad Ali, Heriot Watt University
- Dr Prashant Kumar Soori, Heriot Watt University
- Dr Mustafa Batikha, Heriot Watt University
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About Expo 2020
Expo 2020 Dubai is guided by the belief that innovation and progress are the result of people and ideas combining in new ways. For six months from 20 October, 2020, Expo aims to bring together 180 countries and millions of people to celebrate human ingenuity: ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
- During the six months from 20 October, 2020 to 10 April, 2021, we expect millions of people to visit Expo
- About 70 per cent of all visitors are anticipated to come from outside the UAE – the largest proportion of international visitors in Expo history
- We aim to create and deliver an inclusive and global Expo with more than 200 participants, including nations, multilateral organisations, businesses and educational institutions
- Expo 2020 also has an ambitious volunteer programme, which aims to include more than 30,000 volunteers from a wide range of ages, nationalities, cultures and backgrounds
- The Expo site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area. It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
- Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to take place in the MEASA (Middle East, Africa and South Asia) region
Visit: www.expo2020dubai.com
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About World Expos
In 1851 the Crystal Palace was the centrepiece of London’s Great Exhibition – the first World Expo. It celebrated the man-made industrial wonders of a rapidly changing world. Architecture, contents and a theme, ‘Industry of All Nations’, coalesced to create a big idea of nations meeting nations in shared technological and commercial progress. In more recent years, participants in World Expos, including governments, international organisations and companies, have gathered to find solutions to universal challenges and to promote their achievements, products, ideas, innovations, their national brand, and their nations as destinations for tourism, trade and investment.
World Expos are held under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation responsible for overseeing and regulating international exhibitions (‘Expos’) and for fostering their core values of Education, Innovation and Cooperation . Today, four types of Expos are organised under the BIE’s auspices: World Expos, Specialised Expos, Horticultural Expos and the Triennale di Milano.
For Expo 2020 Dubai media enquiries, please contact:
Jon Bramley
Director – Editor-in-Chief (English)
Email: jon.bramley@expo2020.ae
Tel: + 971 52 757 9993
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