As the world’s greatest renewable resource and a fundamental right, education is critical in combatting poverty, bridging the digital divide, and instilling global citizenship. While there has been significant progress made, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education systems at an unprecedented scale. This has permanently changed the learning experience worldwide and forced us to reimagine the future of education. The International Day of Education (IDE) provides an opportunity to reflect on the changes brought in the past years, while also envisioning education in the upcoming decades together with education experts, students, and teachers. The IDE will bring these stakeholders together to strengthen collaboration, share best practices for teaching in an era of digitalization, and explore pathways to accelerate innovations brought about by disruptions to education worldwide.

Learning to Change

International Day of Education

Coming together to strengthen collaboration, spotlight teaching and learning success stories in the digital age, and explore pathways to make education more resilient to disruption. 

24 JAN - International Day of Education V3

International Day of Education - Agenda

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai speaks during International Volunteers Day - Flagship Public event at Jubilee Stage m17417

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai during International Volunteers Day - Flagship Public event at Jubilee Stage m17413

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan (R2) UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy (R1) UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director

Her Excellency Hesse bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Developmenti speaks during International Volunteers Day - Flagship Public event at Jubilee Stage m17426

His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai speaks during International Volunteers Day - Flagship Public event at Jubilee Stage m17425

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The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.

Today, 258 million children and youth still do not attend school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable.

Education is a human right, a public good and our shared responsibility.

International Day of Education - Flagship

Following the RewirEd Summit at Expo 2020 Dubai, this event will spotlight the importance of play, looking at lifelong learning, leaving no one behind and building bridges to higher education and beyond. The event invites a broad audience to participate in an experiential journey that mirrors the stages of education from early childhood to young adulthood and explores the needs, priorities and nuances of these stages for populations across the world. The event will provide an opportunity to spotlight key challenges of bringing knowledge and learning to the world; celebrate and learn from individuals and innovations that have succeeded in various contexts; and provide a platform for intergenerational dialogue about the enablers of these successes. It will centre the voices of youth, students and innovators and bring together a broad set of participants, including United Nations agencies, international organisations, private sector representatives and social enterprises to galvanise ideas, commitments and resources exploring how we learn in diverse environments and stages of life. 

Knowledge for All

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Spotlighting the importance of play, lifelong learning, leaving no one behind and building bridges to higher education and beyond.

Zura Mustafa, DAFI Alumni & WFP Logistician during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23502

Rodrigo Abarzua, C0-Founder and Global Commercial Director Fundacion Futbol Mas during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23504

Oscar Wood, Co-Founder Seenaryo during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23507

Jacqueline Strecker, Connected Education Lead, UNHCR and moderator during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23486

His Excellency Dr Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer Dubai Cares speaks during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23485

Floridalma Lopez ATZ, Indigenous Woman, Mayan Kaqchikel during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23491

Emi Mahmoud, Goodwill Ambassador UNHCR during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23495

Dr Rita Bissoonauth, Head of African Union International Centre for Girls and Women’s Education in Africa (AU CIEFFA) during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23499

Arash Bordbar, Associate Education Officer UNHCR during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23505

Anojitha Sivaskaran, Youth and Peach Activist, Global Refugee Education Council speaks during SDG Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World at Nexus m23496

Knowledge drives our global community to innovate for a better future, be it advances in medicine, sustainability, technology and more. Our planet’s rich diversity brings forward the importance of creating, storing and transferring knowledge which spans across geographies, cultures and generations. 
During this Theme Week, Expo will present and celebrate the knowledge, culture and heritage of all our participating nations, bringing them together under the UAE’s Golden Jubilee theme of Human Solidarity. Topics of discussion will include intangible and tangible heritage, creative industries, and knowledge economies, among other things. 


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How do we harness and challenge our knowledge today to prepare for the future?

Skills Development and Vocational Training

Informal and Traditional Knowledge Systems

Dubai values education as the key to helping its youngest citizens take charge of the future. Expo 2020’s host city extends that mission across the globe with Dubai Cares, a dynamic philanthropic organisation that helps children in developing countries access quality learning opportunities. At the Dubai Cares Pavilion, learn about the transformative power of education and the unique challenges facing future generations through a series of playful, immersive activities designed to engage the whole family. Sit in a futuristic learning pod, take photos in a comics-inspired exhibit and find out how you can help grow the Dubai Cares movement.

Dubai Cares Pavilion

Knowledge & Learning Week

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Dubai Cares Image Gallery

Dubai Cares

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Explore the pavilion's materials which begin with the concept of circularity.

Italy Pavilion

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Italy Image Gallery

Italy’s voyage to Expo 2020 began long before opening day, when three custom-crafted boats set sail from Venice, Genoa and Naples. Nearly 10,000 kilometres later, the vessels arrived in Dubai and were hoisted up on steel pillars to form the roof of the Italy Pavilion, a striking showcase of culture, science and the nautical arts.

Inside the pavilion, beyond a dramatic veil of LED strands, stylish exhibits await. See a five-metre-tall 3D-printed replica of Michelangelo’s legendary David statue, learn about algae at a cluster of naturally multicoloured pools or gaze up and contemplate the fanciful hanging gardens embedded in the boats’ hulls.


Italy logo

The Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 is a dramatic, open structure reminiscent of a giant carnival tent, with a swooping canopy and a layer of 20-metre-tall white strands surrounding its interior like a veil. A set of high steel pillars support its imaginative roof, which is formed from the hulls of three boats.  

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A carnival 

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From its sunny Mediterranean beaches to its primeval forests to soaring white-capped mountains, the Balkan nation of Albania boasts an incredible amount of biodiversity. The Albania Pavilion at Expo 2020 offers visitors a panoramic tour of the nation’s natural wonders, using virtual reality, nature sounds, digital displays and more. Sample authentic Albanian foods such as jams and cheeses, immerse yourself in the country’s musical heritage and learn about how the nation is becoming a prime destination for sustainable tourism.


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Albania Pavilion

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Capped by a digitally enhanced “cumulus cloud” that provides shade in the daytime and a canvas for dazzling light displays at night, the Australia Pavilion is a vibrant showcase for the kind of imagination Australians like to call “Blue Sky Dreaming”.

Inside and out, the focus here is on Australian innovation. From the ancient astronomy of the Aboriginal peoples, which you can learn about through an immersive projection show on the pavilion’s interior dome, to the sustainably produced timber that forms the pavilion’s hill-shaped exterior, there’s no shortage of blue-sky ideas here to explore.


Australia

With a crescent-shaped first level that resembles dusty hills and a cloud-like shade structure hanging overhead, the Australia Pavilion is designed to evoke a dramatic Outback landscape. 

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Outback landscape

A dramatic

Australia Pavilion

Bahamas Pavilion

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Known for its beautiful white-sand beaches and clear turquoise waters, the natural landscape of the Bahamas faces a grave threat: the 700 islands that make up the country could lose 80 per cent of their land to rising sea levels before the century is over. Drawing on digital displays, artworks, documentary films and more, the Bahamas Pavilion explores how the nation’s citizens are working to solve the urgent issue of climate change. Experience the creativity and resilience of the Bahamian spirit through a wide-ranging tour of the islands’ culture. 

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When you live somewhere as densely populated as Bahrain, finding social harmony means learning to fit together, intertwining different cultures and faiths. This is the igniting idea behind the Bahrain Pavilion, which explores density through the imaginative lens of weaving. With a modern design punctuated by hundreds of needle-like silver columns, the pavilion showcases Bahraini weaving’s history through live demonstrations and exhibits. Explore traditional textile crafts, experiment with futuristic woven carbon fibre and sample flavours from Bahraini chefs. Participate in the fun yourself through stations featuring looms and palm weaving.


Bahrain

A colossal box with thin, lightweight metal skin mysteriously covered with small slits and silver rods towers over visitors at the Bahrain Pavilion. 

The Bahrain Pavilion creates images of weaving needles and the density of a traditionally woven fabric.

Bahrain Pavilion Interior

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Thin and light 

Bahrain Pavilion

Canada

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From its people to its sweeping terrain, Canada is a nation of astounding diversity. With its circular design based on the drum, an instrument found across all the world’s cultures, the Canada Pavilion at Expo 2020 celebrates the unity of its diverse inhabitants, as well as their bright shared future.

From outside, the pavilion impresses with its encircling wooden lattice, which evokes Canada’s natural landscapes while paying homage to the geometry of Islamic mashrabiya screens. But the wonder truly begins within, as an immersive theatre experience takes you on a stirring tour of Canada’s land, peoples and technological innovations.


Novel exhibits featuring interactive shafts of light

Celebration of Canada’s diverse people and landscapes

Canada Features

Canada Logo

The Canada Pavilion evokes the shape of a drum for its commanding, elegant Expo pavilion. Hundreds of pieces of Canadian lumber form a round lattice of diamond-like shapes that pays homage to the captivating geometry of Arabic mashrabiya screens. The massive disc seems to hover weightless over the pavilion’s central core, which is also decorated with wood.

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of unity

A universal symbol 

Canada Pavilion

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Better banking. Better communities. Better future.

Emirates NBD Website

Ever wondered what banking will be like in the future? At Expo 2020, you can gain insights into Emirates NBD’s innovations in smart technology and digital banking first-hand at its Branch of the Future. Emirates NBD’s core beliefs are intertwined with those of Expo 2020: Opportunity is vital to ensuring social and financial inclusion, Mobility is the bridge that Emirates NBD builds for its stakeholders, designed around innovations that put them first, and Sustainability reflects how it creates shared value in the marketplace, workplace, environment and society.

Experience the future of banking 

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Emirates NBD

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Newgrange monument in Ireland is a staggering feat of Stone Age engineering, allowing sunlight into its inner chamber only once each year: at sunrise on the winter solstice. The Ireland Pavilion highlights more than 5,000 years of Irish heritage and know-how with a design inspired by this cultural treasure. Curated around the theme of “Thinking Ireland”, the pavilion’s exhibits trace the long lineage of Irish innovation, from ancient stone-working feats to modern-day advancements in science and technology. Don’t miss the exhibition’s innovative light-filtering cone, built in homage to its 5,200-year-old ancestor at Newgrange.

Ireland Flag

Blending neo-classical architecture with ancient themes, the Ireland Pavilion consists of two single-story buildings surrounded by a screen of white columns and topped by a massive ridged funnel structure. The bronze-coloured main building, called the Oculus, is rectangular in form and features inscribed Celtic designs.

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Inspired by

Ireland Pavilion

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Youthful yet rich with history, innovative yet deeply traditional, Jordan seamlessly blends modern ingenuity with the wisdom of a legendary ancient culture. The Jordan Pavilion explores this exciting duality through captivating exhibits filled with dramatic contrasts: light versus dark, antique versus new. Nowhere is this theme more evident than in the pavilion’s magnificent entry portal, which uses clean, curving lines to evoke the Siq canyon that leads to the famed city of Petra.


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Jordan Pavilion 

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As the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia opens itself to the world, its contribution to Expo 2020 mirrors the nation’s grand ambitions. Boasting a vast façade that covers the area of two football pitches, the Saudi Arabia Pavilion takes the form of an opening window that soars into the sky bearing messages of inspiration.

Your Saudi experience begins in the open plaza under the pavilion, where the giant screen above and LEDs below combine to create a dazzling light show. Next, the “Heritage Path” escalator will transport you to immersive exhibits – and you can end your journey with refreshments and shopping in the pavilion’s scenic palm garden.


Spectacular mirrored architectural design, dazzlingly lit on all sides

Immersive exhibition space highlighted by a multicoloured floating sphere

Palm garden featuring dining and retail options

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The monumental Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Pavilion is a mirrored slab that extends up diagonally from the ground, resembling a giant window opening toward the sky. The immense structure soars six storeys into the air and covers more than 13,000 square metres, or the area of two football pitches. The sides of the pavilion feature a decorative motif of grey horizontal lines like layered metal, while its vast underbelly — which shades an enormous plaza — is mirrored and smooth. 


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to the sky

A window 

Saudi Arabia Pavilion 

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Malaysia Carousel

Malaysia’s Taman Negara is the worlds' most ancient tropical rainforest – and the country’s pavilion at Expo 2020 is here to show us how they’ll keep it healthy for future generations. With its net-zero green design and simulated rainforest canopies, the Malaysia Pavilion presents an inspiring vision for a sustainable future.

The pavilion takes visitors along a woodland path through 3D graphical experiences, “groves” of digitally enhanced columns and exhibits that explore Malaysia’s commitment to balancing economic and environmental health. You can also enjoy Malaysian flavours at the café or a performance in the outdoor amphitheatre.


“Walkable movie” that journeys through stunning landscapes and outer space

Walkable movie 

3D exhibits

Find Malaysian handicrafts and goods in the pavilion gift shop. 

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Malaysia Features

Malaysia logo

The Malaysia Pavilion creates the illusion of a floating jungle canopy with four large, softly rounded, interlocking pods that hover more than five metres above the ground on clusters of slim white metal stilts.

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Malaysia Pavilion 

New Zealand Pavilion

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The Whanganui River is so important to New Zealand’s Maori people that in 2017, it was granted a special legal identity, giving it the rights of a citizen. Now, the New Zealand Pavilion offers a sweeping cultural tour narrated by the Whanganui River itself.

With a design inspired by the Maori tradition of hand-crafting containers to safeguard items of value, the pavilion leads you on a journey of conservation where the greatest treasure to be protected is our natural world. Immerse yourself in the river’s story, deepen the experience with the pavilion’s web-based app, and journey through a 10-metre-high “vertical river” of water droplets.


New Zealand

The New Zealand Pavilion features a tall box clad in titanic wavy panels of chainmail-like architectural mesh called Kaynemaile. Its flexible façade pulses to evoke a living building and sits on a base crafted from New Zealand Abodo eco-timber. The ground floor’s wooden exterior lends a warm feel to the modernist design, welcoming visitors through a small gap beneath the mammoth Kaynemaile panels.

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'kaitiakitanga'

Maori

Russia Pavilion

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Russia Carousel

A perfect complement to Expo’s Mobility District, the colourful, whirled design of the Russia Pavilion suggests a planet in swift motion – much like the hyperconnected one on which we all live.

Inside the pavilion’s spherical shell, a wide range of exhibits will take you on a high-velocity tour of the future of human thought, exploring how we can connect, collaborate and build mutual understanding across the globe. Come experience the possibilities of tomorrow – and sample some mouth-watering Russian cuisine.


Explore exhibits on some of Russia’s most prominent thinkers, past and present. 

Breath-taking exterior displays of light and colour at night 

 A high-velocity tour of the future of human thought.

Russia Features

Russia logo

The towering, 27-metre-high structure of the Russia Pavilion is composed of a huge sphere supported instead by two large columns, one on either side. A wide, shaded courtyard nestles between them, below the main structure. 

The building gains the appearance of speed from its vibrant exterior décor: narrow bands of bright, rainbow colour, which wrap in great loops around the pavilion, suggesting a blur of motion. A raised circle reminiscent of Saturn’s rings sticks out from the centre of the sphere, completing the planetary motif. 


Russia intro image 

in motion 

A planet 

SAP image 

The market leader in enterprise application software, SAP helps companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best.

SAP Website

SAP leads the way in enterprise application software, enabling organisations of all sizes to become intelligent, Cloud-powered enterprises. As the Innovative Enterprise Software Partner for Expo 2020 Dubai, SAP is helping businesses around the world to ‘recover better’ and shape a more resilient, sustainable future. Find out how best-in-class companies are using the power of intelligent enterprise to reinvent their businesses and make the world run more efficiently.

Unleashing the power of data

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Slovenia pavilion

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Slovenia Carousel

Slovenia has become known as the green heart of Europe for its lush forests and picturesque lakes, and the nation is sharing this at Expo 2020. With its huge plant-covered façade and stylish “floating forest” feel, the Slovenia Pavilion is a soothing green oasis where you can explore the country’s natural treasures and sustainable solutions.

The pavilion boasts exhibits such as multisensory 360-degree projected movies and a virtual heartbeat composed of visitors’ unique biosignatures. It also focuses on the cherished Slovenian tradition of beekeeping, with features about honey spas and Slovenia’s other bee-themed tourism attractions.


Slovenia logo

Slovenia 

The architectural team behind the Slovenia Pavilion used the simple words “water, greenery, wood” as a jumping off point to build a dreamy floating forest. The central building is an immense glass and steel oval structure almost entirely covered in a vertical garden of local plants and flowers in varying shades of green. This cloud-like forest is set on columns that hover over a shallow pool that represents Slovenia’s lakes and rivers. 

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and wood 

Water, greenery

Slovenia Pavilion

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USA Image Gallery

From the 18th-century writers of the Declaration of Independence to the creators of today’s smartphones and social-media networks, innovation and love of liberty have always been at the very core of America’s identity. The USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 celebrates these twin national pillars with an immersive exploration of the past and future of the American spirit.

Hop on board a moving walkway and see the sights across several large exhibit areas. Attractions include dynamic digital presentations on America’s history of innovation, a fun ceiling-displayed science narrative, an enormous replica space rocket and much more.

The United States Pavilion centres on a broad façade decorated with a modular pattern of large white metal stars, evoking the American flag. A screen of lofty vertical metal slats stands perpendicular to the left edge of the structure, bordering a walkway that leads guests inside, while a wide roof screen overhangs the full length of the façade, providing shade.

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of liberty

A beacon

United States Pavilion

Bringing Knowledge and Learning to the World

Back in 2015, United Nations unveiled the Sustainable Development Goals as a means to work towards a better future. Expo 2020 Dubai’s purpose embodies the two main pillars of these goals: sustainability and opportunity. The global COVID-19 pandemic has further proved the urgency of this global agenda. As this mega-event takes place, Expo 2020 Dubai will become the center of commitment and action in ensuring that no one is left behind. The Leave No One Behind Track of Expo 2020 Dubai's Programme for People and Planet features a tapestry of event series that spotlight the importance of opportunity for all, gender equality and much more.

Catalysing Opportunity for All

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Leave No One Behind

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A panel discussion on how technology can break barriers and make knowledge universal and accessible for all, while touching on last-mile education.

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Learning to Change

Image Gallery

Event Information

International Day of Education.