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International Big Data Expo Opens in Southwest China

GUIYANG, China, May 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The 2021 China International Big Data Industry Expo (CIBDIE), the country’s leading big data expo, kicked off on May 26 in Guiyang, capital city of southwest China’s Guizhou Province, according to China International Big Data Industry Expo Organizing Committee.

International big data expo opens in southwest China.

Founded in 2015 and officially upgraded to a national expo in 2017, the big data expo has become an international and professional platform for the development of big data as well as an industrial bellwether.

The three-day event is jointly held by the local government as well as the country’s top economic planner, industrial and information watchdogs. With support from the China’s commerce ministry, the expo features domestic, global, industrial and business perspectives.

Under the theme “Embrace digital intelligence, Deliver new development”, the event will include conferences, exhibitions, new product launches, contests and other activities.

This year’s expo is scheduled both online and offline, seeking open cooperation and joint development of different stakeholders. The online expo offers services like online communication, online exhibition, business negotiation, online forum and guest promotion, presenting a variety of exhibition functions.

Guiyang City and Gui’an New District, as the core areas of the national big data (Guizhou) integrated pilot zone, have always been pioneers in big data development, posting leapfrogging progresses in industrial growth. More than 5,000 big data enterprises and 117 industrial giants were here by the end of 2020. The added value of digital economy reached 164.9 billion yuan (about 25.8 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 38.2 percent of the regional GDP, and over half of the region’s real economy featured big data elements.

The specific activities of the expo are as follows:

Conferences: the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as 7 high-end dialogues and 13 professional forums.

Exhibitions: Online and offline exhibitions to display new technologies, new products, new schemes and new applications in the field of big data. A section on big data’s role in rural revitalization is also established.

New launches: Releases of the expo’s leading science and technology achievement award, research on methods and paths of data factor market, global prediction system of COVID-19 and the dictionary of big data encyclopedia, etc.

Competitions: The 2nd industrial APP integration innovation competition and the 6th Guiyang big data and network security elite confrontation exercise.

Activities: a series of activities such as meetings and exchanges, talent introductions, night talks, salons and dialogues, promotions and contract-signing, strategic cooperation, organized visits, etc.

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Caption: International big data expo opens in southwest China.

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Taconic Biosciences Launches TruIMPORT™ Importation Solution

Rodent Models Originating in China Can Be Imported Into Virtually Any Academic Vivarium Without Quarantine

RENSSELAER, N.Y., May 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in providing drug discovery animal model solutions, announces a significant enhancement to the Taconic-Cyagen Model Generation Alliance allowing seamless importation of new genetically engineered models originating in China under the TruIMPORT™ umbrella.

Researchers at non-profit institutions play a critical role in drug discovery; however, outsourcing animal model generation can be cost prohibitive or a logistical challenge. Hurdles in accessing animal model resources can impede important research. Potential solutions to this problem have traditionally come with trade-offs. Depending on the country of origin, cost effective options can require a lengthy quarantine of the animals or additional breeding to ensure animals meet the required health standards for entry into the institution’s animal facility. These additional steps can cost the researcher both time and money.

Originally launched in 2018, the Taconic-Cyagen Model Generation Alliance (the Alliance) for academic and non-profit researchers leverages the talents of two industry-leading companies to create a solution uniquely tailored for non-profit research institutions. Taconic Biosciences has over 65 years of rodent model experience and Cyagen Biosciences is a China-based leader in model generation efficiency and a competitive cost structure. Since its inception, the Alliance has become a recognized leader in providing model generation services to academics and non-profit researchers. TruIMPORT™ represents an important evolution in this service offering. It allows animal models from China to be imported into United States and European animal facilities while complying with existing vivarium requirements. Providing a set of choices, TruIMPORT™ allows customers to access efficient model generation with several pricing options depending on desired delivery timeline, health standard, and cohort size.

“Our main goal is to solve problems for our customers,” shared Dr. John Couse, vice president of scientific services for Taconic. “While the Alliance has provided efficient model generation for years, importation concerns were a barrier for many customers. By creating multiple options under the TruIMPORT™ umbrella, customers can now import rodent models from China without quarantine regardless of the requirements of their vivarium.”

The TruIMPORT™ portfolio consists of three importation options: RapidRELAY™, RapidCHECK™, and RapidEXPANSION™. Customers can compare product specifications here to determine which represents the right combination of timeline, health standards, and deliverables to meet their needs.

About Taconic Biosciences, Inc.

Taconic Biosciences is a fully-licensed, global leader in genetically engineered rodent models and services. Founded in 1952, Taconic provides the best animal solutions so that customers can acquire, custom-generate, breed, precondition, test, and distribute valuable research models worldwide. Specialists in genetically engineered mouse and rat models, microbiome, immuno-oncology mouse models, and integrated model generation and colony management services, Taconic operates three service laboratories and six breeding facilities in the U.S. and Europe, maintains distributor relationships in Asia and has global shipping capabilities to provide animal models almost anywhere in the world.

About Cyagen Biosciences, Inc.

Cyagen Biosciences is a leading provider of comprehensive genetically engineered rodent model services. Cyagen utilizes a highly efficient process, including its proprietary AI technology, to design and deliver novel genetically engineered models with precision and competitive pricing. The Cyagen Transgenic Animal Center (CTAC) in China is a state-of-the-art, specific-pathogen free (SPF) barrier facility, which is both AAALAC accredited and OLAW assured. Cyagen has additional locations in the United States, Japan, and China. Since Cyagen’s founding in 2005, we have delivered over 78,400 animal models to researchers worldwide and have been cited in over 4,700 publications.

Media Contact:

Kelly Owen Grover

Director of Marketing Communications

518-478-6095

kelly.grover@taconic.com

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GMAC Welcomes Top Latin American Business School as Its Newest Member

EGADE Business School brings diversity and prestige to the Council

RESTON, Va., May 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™) today announced that EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey has become the Council’s latest member. Located in Mexico, the EGADE Business School is selected for its world-class programs and international recognition in and beyond Latin America, adding great representation of the region to the global association that constitutes 229 top business schools around the world.

“EGADE Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey has built a globally recognized reputation as the leading Latin American business education institution, committed to empowering entrepreneurial leaders who create shared value and transform society,” said Dr. Osmar Zavaleta, interim dean of EGADE Business School. “EGADE is committed to the exchange of ideas and best practices with our global peers and GMAC membership provides a valuable platform for enhancing that exchange other GMAC member schools”.

“The pandemic has taught us to be innovative and adaptive in a disruptive environment of an interconnected world,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. “We value the global vision and holistic approach that EGADE Business School brings and look forward to their contributions to the advancement of graduate management education.”

EGADE Business Schools is among a select group of institutions internationally to hold the “triple-crown” of excellence from the three leading global accreditation systems for business education quality assessment and continuous improvement: Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), Association of MBAs (AMBA), and EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). For the fourth consecutive year in 2021, EGADE Business School topped the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) ranking in Mexico and Latin America for its Full-Time MBA in Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Master in Finance programs and appears for the first time as the regional leader for its recently introduced Masters in Management.

To be considered for membership in GMAC, a school must maintain a selective admissions process; offer a master’s program in business administration, management subjects or equivalent; and demonstrate support of GMAC’s mission through the use of its products and services.

About GMAC™

The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, GMAC creates solutions and experiences that enable business schools and candidates to better discover, evaluate, and connect with each other.

GMAC™ provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry, as well as tools, resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.

GMAC™ also owns and administers the NMAT by GMAC™ (NMAT™) exam and the Executive Assessment (EA). More than 7 million candidates on their business master’s or MBA journey visited GMAC’s mba.com last year to explore business school options, prepare and register for exams, and get advice on the admissions process. BusinessBecause and The MBA Tour are subsidiaries of GMAC™, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contact:

Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
202-390-4180 (mobile)
thsu@gmac.com

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GMAC Launches Official GMAT™ Exam Chinese Microsite

New website aims to better serve prospective students from the region pursuing a graduate business degree

RESTON, Va., May 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™), the leading global association of business schools and administrator of the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™), today announced the launch of the official GMATTM exam Chinese website, GMAT.com.cn. As the most widely used exam for graduate business school admissions and accepted by more than 7,000 graduate business programs worldwide, GMAT has been a leading assessment tool among the vast pool of talents in the greater China region for more than six decades.

Recognizing the growing interest in graduate management education (GME), GMAC established the microsite for prospective students from the region to access accurate, comprehensive, and authoritative information about the GMAT and GME in their native language more readily and comfortably. Through the localized and targeted content, the GMAT Chinese website, along with GMAT’s official WeChat account that went live earlier this year, provide the critical digital platforms to create and strengthen the connection between Chinese-speaking talents and the world’s leading business schools in the region and beyond, and filling an information gap in the market.

“China has over the years grown into the second largest region for GMAT, after only the United States,” said Sangeet Chowfla, president and CEO of GMAC. “As vaccines become more widely available and hope for economic recovery begins to take root, we expect to see more mobility and look forward to more Chinese students starting and returning to their journey of graduate business education in their own country or abroad, benefiting from the new Chinese-language platforms we are offering today.”

According to GMAC’s 2021 mba.com Prospective Students Survey Report published in March, the level of concern about the impact of COVID-19 has been declining over time. Specifically, the proportion of Chinese respondents reporting that they are extremely or very concerned has dropped from 71 percent in July 2020 to 48 percent in November last year. The report also found that the Chinese respondents planning to pursue an MBA outside their country are not changing their original plans despite the pandemic, with 89 percent planning to pursue their MBA in the United States and 55 percent in the United Kingdom, making these two countries their top destinations of consideration.

“The interest in and desire of Chinese business talents to pursue graduate management studies have not declined but only been put on hold,” said Yuan Ding, vice president and dean of CEIBS and a board director of GMAC. “The official GMAT Chinese website will help connect Chinese business talents all over the world with global business schools and leave no talents undiscovered.”

More than seven million candidates on their business master’s or MBA journey visited mba.com ― GMAC’s flagship graduate education resource and information portal ― to explore business school options, prepare and register for exams, and get advice on the admissions process. GMAC is committed to supporting the goals of Chinese prospective students who wish to prepare and register for the GMAT exam.

About GMAC™

The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC™) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. Founded in 1953, GMAC creates solutions and experiences that enable business schools and candidates to better discover, evaluate, and connect with each other.

GMAC™ provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry, as well as tools, resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment. GMAC™ also owns and administers the NMAT by GMAC™ (NMAT™) exam and the Executive Assessment (EA). BusinessBecause and The MBA Tour are subsidiaries of GMAC™, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contact:
Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
202-390-4180 (mobile)
thsu@gmac.com

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Sea Electric Extends Worldwide Presence With Increased Global Management Team and Strong Showing at Brisbane Truck Show

First Public Viewing of Full Range of SEA Electric-branded Trucks Sets Framework for Company’s Growth in Global Electrification

SEA Electric at 2021 Brisbane Truck Show

The first-ever public appearance of the SEA Electric full range of operational-ready trucks was displayed at the 2021 Brisbane Truck Show — with the entire suite ranging from 4.5-tonne car licence through to 22.5-tonne three-axle rigids.

LOS ANGELES, May 26, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The recent Brisbane Truck Show (May 13-16, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, South Brisbane, Australia) held a significant presence for global automotive technology company SEA Electric, showcasing the first-ever public appearance of a full range of operational-ready electric trucks utilizing proprietary SEA-Drive® power systems, new SEA Electric branding, and the announcement of senior global leadership taking the company’s helm throughout the Asia Pacific region.

The appointment of Bill Gillespie, president of Asia Pacific, and promotion of Glen Walker to vice president of Asia Pacific, bring a wealth of international transport industry and electric vehicle expertise to the region during a time of growth for SEA Electric worldwide. Following a recent US $42 million investment, SEA Electric is bringing electrification solutions and opportunities to nearly every corner of the globe, and in the United States it has added further assembly capacity, creating the current potential for approximately 60,000 units per annum. Further U.S. assembly, including in the area of batteries, is expected in the near future.

According to SEA Electric President and Founder Tony Fairweather, SEA Electric has not only created a low-cost delivery solution, but equally meaningful it has developed a medium voltage/lightweight power system with performance outcomes that exceed the internal combustion engine equivalent. “Our own SEA-badged trucks – including the SEA 300 and SEA 500 in Australia – are derived from OEM Semi Knock-Down kits, creating further efficiencies to pass on to our customer base whilst supporting rapid OEM expansion into this segment,” said Fairweather.

Gillespie’s new leadership role allows him to build upon the company’s momentum, which continues to expand on a worldwide basis. “The product showcased in Brisbane sets the framework for SEA Electric to seamlessly fold into OEM dealerships and fleets, bringing forth both new and repowered electrification options,” said Gillespie. The current three medium-size EV truck models are sold through a dozen authorized dealers in Australia, while more than 220 U.S. dealers are available to support the North American market needs.

SKD Assembly Provides Solutions Efficiency
Walker further explained the commercial arrangement as a Semi Knock Down (SKD) Assembly Operation – creating SKD ‘Glider’ kits – a first-of-its-kind three-way process that begins with the cab,

frame rails, wheels and axle components arriving in Australia, within containers from Japan, and upon arrival being assembled to provide a rolling chassis to support the appropriate proprietary SEA-Drive® power-system to create a completely assembled SEA Electric-branded vehicle. The vehicles are then ready for distribution.

But it is their SKD assembly operation’s efficiency that creates a real game-changer for SEA Electric and facilitates the solutions and productivity the company can provide. With consistency of assembly, and a process that provides multiple efficiencies, there becomes very little waste, often eliminating extra componentry that previously would have been discarded in other retrofitting processes.

“Our agreements in the U.S. go one step further,” said Walker. “We are utilizing SKD and local glider assembly to set the benchmark for ongoing programs in North America and other SEA Electric markets around the world.” As an example, when containers in the United States arrive for SKD assembly, all electrification is then performed by authorized upfitters, solely using SEA-Drive® power-system technology and branding. The process of building the trucks from SKD kits or glider chassis provides multiple advantages over the retrofit option, including lower cost, quicker build times, and less waste.

Bill Gillespie, President of SEA Electric Asia Pacific

Bill Gillespie joins SEA Electric as President, Asia Pacific, bringing a wealth of international transit industry and electric vehicle expertise to the region during a time of growth for SEA Electric worldwide.

The North American market, which recently became the new home for SEA Electric’s California-based headquarters, has the largest capability for upfitting capacity at 60,000 units annually. The addition of a Des Moines Technical Center and planned offices in Chicago, Brooklyn, and Miami before August this year represents SEA Electric’s commitment to the market.

With available volume and an ambitious capability to assemble the company’s SEA-Drive® technology, SEA Electric provides immediate and cost-efficient solutions that can be easily scaled to meet the needs for any fleet – whether new or existing delivery vehicles in need of new EV drive capabilities. The electrification of the yellow school bus industry is also in high demand in the United States.

Perhaps the most important business growth aspect of SKD kit and OEM glider assembly is the ability for the SEA Electric vehicle range to be available from a dealer network that provides complete sales, warranty, and service support.

SEA-Drive®

SEA Electric’s proprietary SEA-Drive® electrification technology adapts to a large range of OEM truck and commercial vehicle platforms and has been proven in the field with millions of real-driving miles to date.

SEA-Drive® Power-Systems
SEA Electric’s proprietary SEA-Drive® power-systems come in a variety of configurations for all-electric models with a GVM range of 4.5t through to 26t (i.e., 9,990 lbs. to 57,500 lbs. GVWR). Each are designed for 3,000 charge cycles based on a full overnight charge, if applied five days per week, and can result in optimum performance for 10 years.

The Brisbane Truck Show highlighted five new SEA-Electric-branded truck models, including the launch of the SEA 300-45 EV and the SEA 300-85 EV. Both models are fully ADR compliant and assembled in Melbourne for Australian distribution.

The Future for SEA Electric
While SEA Electric’s roots originate in Australia, along with various manufacturing and technology capabilities, the company’s North American growth brings a business model that can be replicated in Europe, as well. Current U.S. upfitting facility locations include Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, and California.

SEA Electric SEA M5 EV

The SEA M5 EV Vehicle chassis shown in this urban delivery truck utilizes SEA Electric’s proprietary SEA-Drive® powertrain platform for Class 5 vehicles. The unit carries a 5-year warranty on batteries and a system warranty of 3 years or 50,000 miles.

On the heels of its recent US $42 million equity financing announcement, SEA Electric also closed its latest purchase of 1,000 electric vehicle batteries from long-time technology partner Soundon New

Energy Technology. This important transaction supports SEA Electric’s proprietary SEA-Drive® 70, 100, and 120 major power-system models. While most of the initial units are slated for the United States, the balance will go to SEA Electric inventories in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, as well as the company’s first entry into the European market.

About SEA Electric
Global automotive technology company SEA Electric was founded in Australia in 2012, creating its proprietary electric power-system technology (known as SEA-Drive®) for the world’s urban delivery and distribution fleets, as well as front powered school bus applications.

Glen Walker, SEA Electric Vice President, Asia Pacific

As Vice President Asia Pacific for SEA Electric, Glen Walker leads the APAC operational activities for the company, with nearly two decades of experience within the automotive and transport sectors in Australia.

Widely recognized as a market leader in the electrification of commercial vehicles on a global basis, SEA Electric commands a global presence, deploying product in six countries including USA, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Indonesia, and South Africa with collectively more than one million miles of independently OEM-tested and in-service international operation.

The company’s global sales, after-sales and engineering are represented in all subsidiaries, whilst North America, home to the company’s headquarters, has the largest upfitting capacity for SEA Electric at 60,000 units per year.

PRESS RELEASE DOWNLOADS
Please follow this link to download this press release and HIGH RESOLUTION versions of our accompanying SEA Electric images and other supporting editorial assets.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dqt5opk580rf4em/AAB2vfLr9s2UsePMwcKqSsMTa?dl=0

Contact: Deb Pollack/Strategic Communications

(t) 805.320.9248 (e) deb@debpollack.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/77af3321-4ff7-4b80-b687-e2264e18e5db

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/147e7737-960e-4586-b145-38e83c1bb1f5

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UAE calls on the global community to join efforts to instill and maintain human dignity through storytelling

Dignified Storytelling
Bangladesh – Nomita Mondal watering mangrove saplings in Pachim Dhangmari, adjacent to Sundarbans Mangrove Forest, Banishanta, Dacope, Khulna, Bangladesh. Credit: BEDS
Dignified Storytelling
Ethiopia – A #SecondChance student in rural Ethiopia reads and does homework at home by candlelight. Credit: Luminos Fund
Dignified Storytelling
Guatemala – Adolescent girl student eager to take part in class as part of a bigger program that is set to elevate the voice and opportunities of adolescent girls in Guatemala, Nicaragua and Honduras. Credit: Global Fund for Children
Dignified Storytelling
Liberia – Mary, a #SecondChance student in @LuminosFund’s Liberia program, smiles alongside her classmates prior to the pandemic. Luminos has helped 152,051 out-of-school children experience joyful learning and catch up. Today, Luminos classrooms in Liberia have reopened safely. Credit: Luminos Fund
Dignified Storytelling
Pakistan – The Citizens Foundation (TCF) students in a school playground in Qayyumabad, Karachi, Pakistan. Credit: TCF/Zoral Naik
Dignified Storytelling
Rwanda – A group of students representing the student business club within their school community in Rwanda as part of the “Educate!” program. Credit: Educate!
Dignified Storytelling
Tanzania – A chef pauses from his work at the campsite in Lake Natron, Tanzania. Photographer: Nicola Bailey
  • Dignified Storytelling, an initiative led by Dubai Cares, Expo 2020 Dubai and UAE MOFAIC, upholds the UAE’s vision of furthering human dignity around the world
  • Dignified Storytelling Forum to take place on 10 December 2021 at Expo 2020 Dubai, the first World Expo to be held in the MEASA region

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, May 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dubai Cares, Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation (MoFAIC) have come together to launch Dignified Storytelling, an initiative with an aim of creating an ecosystem that fosters a shared understanding and practice of storytelling that maintains and upholds the dignity of all persons and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Today, thousands of stories are being told regardless of who tells them and how they are told. Many of these stories lack authenticity, transparency, or are driven by ulterior motives which serve a predetermined narrative. These are just some of the few obstacles that get in the way of honest, wholesome and dignified storytelling within development and humanitarian contexts. In order for a piece – be it visual, written or spoken – to reach an audience, it goes through a long process of filtration, revising and editing that sometimes alters the original content and makes it almost fictional. This in turn, ends up painting the wrong picture of the contributors who oftentimes are not aware of where their stories, visual or written, will be displayed and to what purpose will they be used.

Dignified Storytelling was born out of the need to unite the voices of content makers, editors, journalists, photographers, filmmakers, storytellers, and contributors and equip them with the awareness and hands-on knowledge that will enable them to capture moments and tell stories without compromising human dignity. In order to fulfill this need, Dignified Storytelling kickstarted global consultations a year ago, to solicit cross-sectoral perspectives on storytelling within development and humanitarian contexts, as well as set and agree on the Dignified Storytelling Principles that today serve as guidance and an advocacy tool for bringing together various stakeholders from around the world to form a global movement that will be a game changer in maintaining and promoting human dignity through storytelling.

These foundational principles are also guiding the consultative development of an accessible and practical Dignified Storytelling Handbook which provides ‘how-to’ guidance and concrete best practice case studies. Cross-sectoral perspectives and insights from a diverse group of storytellers and experienced stakeholders from governments, UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and civil society are currently informing this valuable framework and resource.

To truly embed Dignified Storytelling in the day-to-day policies and practices among international development agencies and various storytellers within the development and humanitarian sectors, Dubai Cares, Expo 2020 Dubai and UAE MoFAIC have established a Dignified Storytelling Alliance. The Alliance is a network of champions that provides advocacy, in-kind support, and input on program deliverables. Representation in the Alliance includes a deliberately diverse range of viewpoints from organizations, individuals and governments who are able to share best practices from their on-the-ground experiences within a range of development contexts.

Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai, remarked: “At a time when it is needed most, Expo 2020 will bring the world together in a spirit of hope and optimism, building bridges and inspiring action towards a brighter future for us all. This will be the ideal setting for strengthening Dignified Storytelling as we join our resources to reinforce the highest standards and increase the impact of those stories we choose to share with the world. The initiative also reflects the UAE’s commitment to advancing responsible storytelling for the greater good of humankind, and its central role in international humanitarian and development efforts more widely.”

Stressing on the importance of storytelling in the development context, Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares and Member of its Board of Directors, said: “Storytelling is a powerful communication tool in both development and humanitarian settings. Stories, both visual and written, provide an avenue for understanding different perspectives and can be an impetus for action. This is why it is important for us as a global community to tackle irresponsible storytelling, a practice that has been left unaddressed for far too long, which I believe is rooted in the absence of widely available and comprehensive guidance on how to best tell stories that maintain the dignity of all persons. I invite all storytellers, governments, agencies, and civil society to join us in this effort to instill an understanding and practice of storytelling that brings us together and reminds us of our shared humanity.”

The initiative will include the Dignified Storytelling Forum, taking place at Expo 2020 Dubai on 10 December 2021 as part of the six-month mega-event. The Forum will serve as a powerful platform for key stakeholders – including members of civil society organizations, governments, the private sector, and international agencies as well as advocates, activists, and storytellers – to come together and collectively agree on a way forward in validating, adopting and integrating the Dignified Storytelling Principles. This will be achieved through a series of plenaries and an exhibition showcasing best practices in Dignified Storytelling, as well as side events including a press conference.

The Forum is part of Expo 2020’s rich calendar of specialist programming, which reflects and celebrates the spirit of Dignified Storytelling all throughout. Encompassing cultural, social, economic, environmental and UAE-based themes, the program series has been curated in close collaboration with UAE entities, International Participants, Non-Official Participants, International Organisations and Commercial Partners and and seeks to garner solidarity around global challenges, spotlight areas of mutual interest and importance, and ensure the emergence of a meaningful legacy at the national, regional and international level.

Over the longer-term, Dignified Storytelling will create an environment of positivity that strengthens long-term relationships between the public, private, development and humanitarian sectors by placing dignified and ethical storytelling at the epicenter of knowledge sharing, stakeholder engagement, and capacity development to inspire and inform storytellers. To achieve this, the UAE calls on global stakeholders and partners to become advocates for this pivotal initiative by pledging towards the ten principles of Dignified Storytelling. 

About Dubai Cares: 

Since its inception in 2007, Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has been working towards providing children and youth in developing countries with access to quality education through the design and funding of programs that aim to be impactful, sustainable and scalable. To date, the UAE-based global philanthropic organization has successfully launched education programs reaching over 20 million beneficiaries in 60 developing countries.

Contact:
Makram Bou Kheir
makram.boukheir@dubaicares.ae
+971509345854

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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