Mays Ibrahim (ABU DHABI)
The rich cultural landscape of Abu Dhabi serves as an apt setting to underscore the transformative impact of arts and education in fostering dialogue, tolerance, and diversity on a global scale, said Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture.
His remarks were made on Tuesday at the UNESCO World Conference on Culture and Arts
Education 2024, held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi.
He noted that hosting this event in the UAE reflects the country’s commitment to investing in culture, heritage, and creativity.
“What other place to experience the tangible impact of culture and arts education than here in Abu Dhabi? … It has built a cultural agenda that is open to the world, to other cultures,” Ottone Ramírez said.
“The culture summit held here in the capital is fairly placed as a major event on the global culture calendar, while the city’s music sector has gone from strength to strength, which we are of course delighted to be a part of through its designation as a UNESCO creative city of music,” he added.
It is forecast that culture will play a “pivotal role” in economic growth over the next 50 years, according to Ottone Ramírez, who highlighted the UAE’s 10-year National Strategy for Culture and Creative Industry, the first in the Arab world, as one of its several initiatives related to leveraging culture as a potent asset for driving developmental objectives forward.
Ottone Ramírez further noted that culture and education are two pillars of UNESCO’s founding mandates.
“Culture and education are integral and indeed inseparable factors of holistic and transformational development. Education itself is a cultural process. Its contents, science, practice, and ways of teaching and learning are deeply embedded in and shaped by culture. On the other hand, how we learn about culture has a bearing on the ways in which we understand ourselves, our past, and our common future,” he said.
Ottone Ramírez also stressed that recognising the importance of intertwining education and culture in “synergic” ways is crucial for furthering UNESCO’s goals.
“If we neglect the educational dimension in culture, we deny people the full range of skills needed to thrive, to lead independent and healthy lives, and to engage responsibly”.
The World Conference on Culture and Arts Education, which concludes on Thursday, aims to achieve consensus in adopting a progressive framework for culture and arts education.
Over the course of three days, the conference hosts a diverse array of plenary and parallel thematic sessions, bringing together educational stakeholders worldwide to exchange insights on arts and culture education. Complementing these sessions are a variety of side events, such as performances and interactive exhibitions, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the UAE and providing attendees with unique experiences.