Abu Dhabi: The World Early Childhood Development (WED) Movement is partnering with Emirati state-owned holding company, Mubadala to organize WED Forum on the 15th and 16th of March at Yas South Skate Park.
The event which will witness the participation of globally renowned Early Childhood Development (ECD) professionals, experts, decision-makers and policymakers, strives to create a platform to discuss regional ECD issues and strengthen international stakeholder relationships, with the intended outcome of influencing policy and informing the public. The Forum is expected to focus on 13 key topics.
Distinguished Speakers at the Forum include;
- Timothy Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics, who will speak about WED Talk on Reflecting on our systemic responses to the impact of COVID-19 on Children of Determination and
- Jane McGonigal, Director of Games Research & Development at the Institute for the Future and Author, who will discuss Approaches to gaming addiction: Guiding responsible gaming habits for children and parents.
The forum will also host Mr. Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Teleworking Applications, who will propose new views on how should governments and policymakers address the “yet to be known” negative impact of technologies used today.
Another Forum highlight would be when Dr. Dimitri Christakis, Director of the Centre for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children Research Institute, will speak on WED Talk Developing mental health resources for a digital generation.
INDUSTRY-BACKED EVENTS
The event will feature respective roundtables hosted by Mubadala on creating a healthy urban network for children to play/exercise/move around safely in a hot climate.
UAE’s state-owned oil company, ADNOC will host a roundtable on exploring the effects COVID-19 has had on the social interaction of young children and their families, and how to reintegrate them into normal social situations.
On the other hand, Abu Dhabi’s largest health insurance provider, Daman Insurance will host a panel on parents’ screen time: How does this dictate children’s habits towards tech use.
The Forum will end with the World Early Childhood Development (WED) Fun Run organized by Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority (ECA) and Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) in partnership with Mubadala and Mubadala Health, on 16th of March.