World Early Childhood Development (WED) Forum will host acclaimed global and local experts and leaders across the public and private sector

Taking place on 15th and 16th March, at Yas South Skate Park, in Abu Dhabi, the World Early Childhood Development (WED) Forum, hosted by WED Movement in partnership with its Visionary Partner Mubadala, will welcome acclaimed global Early Childhood Development (ECD) professionals, experts, decision-makers and policymakers.

With the aim to create a platform to discuss regional ECD issues and strengthen international stakeholder relationships, with the intended outcome of influencing policy and informing the public, the WED Forum will hone 13 key topics.

Global speakers include Dr Timothy Shriver, Chairman, Special Olympics, who will speak about WED Talk on Reflecting on our systemic responses to the impact of COVID-19 on Children of Determination, Dr Jane McGonigal, Director of Games Research & Development at the Institute for the Future and Author, who will discuss Approaches to gaming addiction: Guiding responsible gaming habits for children and parents, and H.E. Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, who will propose new views on How should governments and policymakers address the “yet to be known” negative impact of technologies used today. Dr. Dimitri Christakis, Director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children Research Institute, will shed light on WED Talk Developing mental health resources for a digital generation.

The Forum will also feature respective roundtables hosted by Mubadala on Creating a healthy urban network for children to play/exercise/move around safely in a hot climate, ADNOC  on Exploring the effects COVID has had on the social interaction of young children and their families, and how to reintegrate them into normal social situations, and Daman Insurance on Parents’ screen time: How does this dictate  children’s habits towards tech use.

The Forum will end with the World Early Childhood Development (WED) Fun Run organized by Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority (ECA) and Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) in partnership with Mubadala and Mubadala Health, on Wednesday 16th March at 4:30 PM starting at  Yas Island’s Pier 71 Parking, Abu Dhabi. The 1-kilometer fun run, which is open to parents, parents-to-be, young children with their siblings, is part of WED Movement’s mission to promote healthy lifestyles for children from a young age, whilst curating and inspiring the best possible outcomes that positively impact children’s lives, in Abu Dhabi and beyond. Children will also be able to take part in fun interactive health stations as part of WED Movement and Mubadala’s commitment to helping foster a healthier next generation.

Actively participating in the Forum program, the WED Movement’s partners include Visionary Partner Mubadala, Official Partners ADNOC and Daman, Miral as WED Destination Partner, and Manchester City Football Schools UAE, Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, UNICEF and Bernard van Leer Foundation as Supporters.