UAE, 23 November 2019- Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), joined a group of international figures participating in the 40th Session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which was held recently at UNESCO headquarter in Paris, France. Dr. Al Awar attended the meeting along with Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO’s education sector; heads of UNESCO’s international institutes; official delegations of member states; associate members; and leading inter-government and non-government organizations. The participants discussed the policies and main action plans that define UNESCO’s programs and budget in the coming period.

During the event, Dr. Al Awar took the opportunity to underline the UAE’s commitment to supporting UNESCO’s vision and its strategy in implementing the fourth goal of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030, which is to ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Dr. Al Awar noted that the UAE has taken advanced steps to upgrade the country’s educational sector, including the implementation of internationally accepted best practices and the integration of the latest technological innovations into the system. These are in line with one of the UAE Government’s key priorities, which is to invest in the UAE’s human capital.

Upon UNESCO’s official invitation, he joined the in-depth discussions on the current and future projects, strategic priorities, and present issues in the field of education. The HBMSU’s Chancellor also reviewed a detailed report on the activities of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) in his capacity as Chairman of the Governing Board of IITE. The latter took place during the meeting of the Committee of Vice-Chairmen of the 40th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO.

The biennial General Conference is one of the most important high-level events on the UNESCO calendar. Earlier this year, Dr. Al Awar was invited to become part of the Working Group on governance, procedures, and working methods of the governing bodies of UNESCO. During the gathering, he shared his vision and suggestions on how to improve the management of the UNESCO Category 1 institutes to achieve the ambitious goal of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 based on the principle of equal opportunities.