Entities to set up DFF-UNESCO Futures Literacy Hub
Dubai, 9 December, 2020 – Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) and UNESCO signed a partnership agreement to establish DFF-UNESCO Futures Literacy Hub, a global platform aimed at promoting futures literacy. The partnership will contribute to UNESCO’s role as a laboratory of ideas by promoting futures literacy at global scale, and position Dubai as a hotspot for futures literacy practitioners, researchers and key stakeholders.
The two organizations made the announcement at UNESCO’s High-Level Futures Literacy Summit that runs from December 8 to 12 online from Paris. DFF is prominently represented at the virtual event, where it plans to introduce the offerings of Dubai Future Research, the Dubai Future Academy and Dubai Future Labs.
The partnership leverages DFF’s support for visionary practices and UNESCO’s leadership in advancing futures literacy as a discipline. The two parties seek to develop a joint robust and scientifically grounded strategy to achieve human well-being through foresight and futures practices.
The agreement mandates members of the Global Futures Literacy Network, in particular UNESCO Chairs in Futures Studies and Futures Literacy, to work closely with participants from around the world to implement action-learning activities and deploy on-the-ground methods to cultivate futures literacy.
HE. Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of DFF, said: “We are delighted to partner with UNESCO, one of the world’s foremost leaders in foresight, science and education. Our two institutions complement one another perfectly. Our partnership supports UNESCO’s ongoing efforts to champion futures literacy, contributes to consolidating Dubai’s position at the cutting edge of knowledge creation and capability development, and promotes innovative policies and practices in the UAE and beyond.”
He added: “The initiative aligns with the National Agenda of the UAE Vision 2021 and the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for driving global endeavors to build a better future. It also helps DFF fulfill its objective of equipping the leaders of tomorrow with the latest knowledge and skills.”
Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director General for Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO, said: We are thrilled to join forces with Dubai Future Foundation to scale up our efforts to make Futures Literacy available for all of us. This important 21st Century competency is of the outmost importance. The many challenges faced by humanity, further aggravated by the pandemic, require new approaches, new tools and new ways of anticipating and address existing and emerging challenges, including inequality and climate change.”
The DFF-UNESCO Futures Literacy Hub, housed within DFF’s premises in Dubai, will commence operations in 2021 by establishing a dedicated steering group to identify priority areas, followed by capacity-building and programmatic activities with a focus on foresight and policy-making.
Successful innovation cannot exist without international cooperation. Dubai Future Foundation promotes global dialogue to create impactful disruptions in vital sectors through initiatives such as the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) UAE and Palmwood, and in collaboration with partners in AREA 2071, including United Nations, IBM, Procter & Gamble, SAP, Emirates, Ernst & Young, Pfizer, Wamda Capital, GEMS Education, and other prominent entities.
The Dubai Future Foundation is an example of this in action in the United Arab Emirates, as shown by its series of bold initiatives and programs across a variety of industries, which seek to collectively imagine, design, and excute Dubai and the UAE’s future, as part of its global mandate.
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