Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, renewed its commitment to ‘Education in Emergencies’ at a special event held on the sidelines of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly, UNGA, in New York.

The event, which was co-hosted by Dubai Cares and the ‘Education Cannot Wait’ fund, brought together the leadership of the world’s most influential companies and foundations to expand dialogue from the political arena, elevate education in emergencies in the minds of those who have the power to initiate change and consequently drive more investment in education by supporting learning opportunities for children and youth in crisis-affected countries.

At this vital event, and through his opening remarks, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares, highlighted the opportunities for strategic engagement. The participants also learnt about the fund’s progress from its leading political champion Rt. Hon Gordon Brown and the fund’s vision from Director Yasmine Sherif.

Tony Lake, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF; Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, and David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, IRC, also spoke at the event.

Speaking at the Dubai Cares and Education Cannot Wait joint event, Al Gurg said, "Education Cannot Wait continues to mobilise the public and political commitments needed to get every crisis-affected child into school and learning by 2030. The investments are already made and the ongoing advocacy and operations are the basis of an extraordinary global effort to transform the system. Yet, there is still an overwhelming need for collective action towards providing educational opportunities for every child affected by emergencies and protracted crises.

"Such a gathering is instrumental in bringing together the best minds from around the world to exchange opinions and ideas, share best practices, highlight challenges and formulate solutions. Businesspeople, leaders, employers, innovators, humanitarians and philanthropists have a critical role to play in tackling this issue and their influence is crucial to the success of the fund."

So far, Dubai Cares has launched eight ‘Education in Emergencies’ programmes worth AED78,060,471 (US$ 21,249,618) in Colombia, Iraq, Liberia, Nepal, Niger, Palestine and Sierra Leone. It also targets children affected by the Syrian crisis in Jordan and Lebanon, with the total number of beneficiaries reaching 323,900.