The initiative will support a joint global effort by Dubai Cares and its partners Unicef and Unesco to scale up digital connectivity.
An initiative launched on Monday will see the world’s largest canvas painting to be auctioned in Dubai to raise Dh110 million to boost digital equality across the world.
Humanity Inspired, the initiative launched by Dubai Cares under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, is also set to enter the Guinness World Records for the largest canvas painting ever created in the world.
The initiative will support a joint global effort by Dubai Cares and its partners Unicef and Unesco to scale up digital connectivity and provide equitable access to remote learning for children and youth across the world. The humanitarian initiative, which seeks to connect one billion people through art, will also support the Global Gift Foundation’s key projects centred on children’s education and wellbeing, with a special focus on helping those most affected by Covid-19. The UAE Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, Ministry of Education, and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) are also part of the initiative.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak said the UAE has become a leading player in strengthening bridges of international cooperation by spreading the culture of tolerance, coexistence and peace. ‘Humanity Inspired’ seeks to provide children and youth regardless of their gender, nationality, race or religion with access to connectivity in order to pursue their education, he added.
Sheikh Nahyan said the initiative will advance the UAE’s leading role in the field of digital cooperation and smart cities, which was highlighted by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, in his keynote address at a virtual event chaired by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to launch the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation.
Dr Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares and Member of its Board of Directors, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic forced 192 countries to close down schools and universities, affecting more than 1.5 billion school-aged children and youth, who represent around 90 per cent of the world’s student population. More than 60 million teachers were also no longer in the classroom. Given this reality, we are very excited to join forces with Atlantis, The Palm and Sacha Jafri in this ambitious charitable initiative.”
Dubai Cares will manage the entire campaign locally and globally by coordinating with all partners and stakeholders. In the UAE, the Ministry of Education will be inviting students from schools across the country to submit their artwork. The initiative aims to invite tens of millions of children around the world to submit their drawings, pictures, paintings, collages and sketches via www.Humanity-Inspired.com on the theme of isolation and connection amid the Covid-19 outbreak. Jafri will incorporate their ‘artworks’ into the first layer of his canvas (the Soul), which will serve as windows to portray a better future from a child’s perspective – ‘Windows to a Better World’.
Jafri said: “After a conversation with Unicef earlier in the year, my eyes were opened to the fact that an estimated 385 million children live in extreme poverty around the world. These numbers have almost doubled in the last four months due to Covid-19. This pandemic has affected every community across the globe and taken the lives of thousands, but it has also changed our mindset, and this means we have a window of opportunity for change. ‘Humanity Inspired’ aims to be a catalyst for true social change through the hearts, minds and souls of the children of the world. My painting, ‘The Journey of Humanity’ will support the delivery of improved education and connectivity.”
