Former UK prime minister to speak at Expo 2020 Dubai education forum

Gordon Brown wants RewirEd summit to mark 'a turning point' for global learning

Gordon Brown, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, will speak at the RewirEd education summit at Expo 2020. Getty

This year's RewirEd education summit will be held at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who now serves as UN Special Envoy for Global Education, will speak at the forum which is being held during Expo 2020 Knowledge and Education week from December 12-14.

RewirEd looks at solving current challenges in education and opens up discussion on plans for the future of children's learning.

The three central themes this year are; youth, skills and the future of work; innovation in education; and education financing.

"We have to be the first generation in history where every single child goes to school but Covid-19 has set us back," Mr Brown said.

"It is time to develop not just some of the potential of some children but all the potential of all children.

"The RewirEd summit that will take place in December 2021 is going to make a huge difference and is a turning point for education."

Set to attract around 2,000 participants, the event will host speakers representing global organisations.

Henrietta Fore, executive director of Unicef, is expected to attend.

"The Covid-19 pandemic has deepened the global learning crisis and cast a spotlight on the digital divide and the skills gap that keep millions of young people from education, jobs and opportunities that they need," she said.

"We need to reimagine education, close these gaps and put digital solutions and skills in the hands of every child and young person, to help them and their economies recover."

The RewirEd agenda promises to feature ministers of education, speakers and panellists from UN agencies, international NGOs, academia, as well as representatives of youth, public and private sectors around the world.

Saadia Zahidi, the managing director of the World Economic Forum and another speaker at the summit says the past year represents "an earthquake" in the world of education.

"But this critical moment also provides an opportunity for leaders to fundamentally reshape both education content and education delivery systems to prepare children for the societies, workplaces and economies of the future.

"Events like the RewirEd summit are critically important because they create a vital space for innovative new approaches to education to emerge and for leaders to converge on shared solutions that leave no one behind.”

RewirEd is organised by Dubai Cares, along with Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.

School life around the world during the pandemic: in pictures