Sheikha Moza attends EAA plenary session at WISE 2023

Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of the Education Above All ( EAA) Foundation, attended the plenary session organised by the foundation on the second and concluding day of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) 2023 yesterday.Jeffrey Sachs, university professor and director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University stressed that the way to end the Israel-Palestinian issue that has been going on for several decades is by accepting Palestine as a UN member state.He said: "The war that has been raging in Gaza has been happening for several decades. The UN Security Council has already adopted the solution which is two states side by side. The Israel–Palestine issue can be solved if Palestine is recognised as a UN member state.”The session was also attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation; Ziroatkhon Hoshimova, First Lady of Uzbekistan and a number of ministers, dignitaries and officials. The session focused on raising global awareness about the Gaza Strip crisis, the importance of educational recovery, dealing with trauma and psychosocial support.Prof Sachs talked about the significant role of education in sustainable development and the necessity of adhering to it, especially in times of war and crisis, calling for thinking about the turmoil that the world is witnessing today and trying to find a solution to it.He added that the solution to the Palestinian issue is not by launching initiatives or proposing solutions but by the ability to implement decisions on the ground. The Security Council must approve the acceptance of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations and adopt it as an independent state.During the session, Al Fakhoora Scholarship graduate, Athar Ahmed narrated her personal experience and the humanitarian crises she had been exposed to since her childhood and how it had impacted her childhood . She gave an account of the roar of planes and the sounds of artillery, bombs and tanks, and seeing her family members covered in their blood and their body parts scattered, as a result of the bombing of their home in Gaza.Ahmed , then, pointed out how she was awarded the Al Fakhoora scholarship which helped her shape her life for better and led to the transformation and personal development of her life. She also noted how education with its transformative power can help withstand shocks and deal with life's challenges with steadfastness and strength.Founder and CEO of the Centre for Mind-Body Medicine, James Gordon talked about his centre's role in Gaza and how its programmes were developed to deal with the trauma suffered by the Gazan society, especially children. He pointed out that trauma in Gaza results from seeing blood and body parts, but what exacerbates its difficulty is that the trauma is collective.Dr Gordon pointed out that the centre's programme in Gaza was able to train more than 1,500 teachers, counsellors, and medical workers to enhance children's recovery from trauma, and who in turn were able to treat more than 85,000 children in various areas, including shelters, schools, mosques, and others.Ameera Harouda, a journalist from Gaza and one of the war survivors, explained how people and children felt safe and reassured in schools that were not spared from the bombing, highlighting the importance of protecting education and giving Palestinian children the opportunity to complete their education and hone their skills.Palestinian-American standup comedian Mohamed Amer also addressed the gathering through a video message.