New partnership announced between Mubadala and Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority to support the World Early Childhood Development (WED) Movement

Mubadala Investment Company, an Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor, has announced a new partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Early Childhood Authority (ECA) as the Visionary Partner of the World Early Childhood development initiative (WED movement). Announced at a recent signing ceremony, the partnership will support in organizing numerous events and programs that contribute to implementing WED’s vision and targets.

The event was hosted at the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority’s headquarters, in attendance of H.E. Sana Mohamed Suhail, Director General of ECA and Homaid Al Shimmari, Deputy Group CEO and Chief Corporate & Human Capital Officer, Mubadala, in addition to several the leaders of the authority.

The WED Movement was launched earlier this year under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority. It aims to spur innovation in systems, platforms and programs that help realize ECA’s mandate to provide for the health, wellbeing, and protection of Abu Dhabi’s children from pregnancy to age eight. The initiative focuses on parents, children, partners, policymakers, civil societies, research entities, social investment funds and innovation centers in addition to the private sector. Through strategic interventions and tailored programs, it aims to promote and develop the early childhood sector locally and globally.

H.E. Sana Mohamed Suhail, Director General of Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) said: “Mubadala will play a vital role in supporting WED Movement globally and in advancing efforts to create true innovation in early childhood development to better prepare our children for the future. This partnership will allow us to collaborate and support each other through the powerful synergies between our entities, manifested through a number of unique activities we are planning together. We are excited for this new chapter in WED and look forward to working together with the Mubadala team.”

Homaid Al Shimmari Deputy Group CEO and Chief Corporate & Human Capital Officer, Mubadala said: “At Mubadala, we pride ourselves in being responsible investors, focusing on ways we can empower the future of our nation, placing strategic partnerships at the heart of everything we do. We strive to create a knowledge-based economy in the UAE, and this can only happen if we start with children in their earliest development years. By providing a highly engaging learning environment, we can empower future generations of leaders and policy makers who will make a long-term positive impact. We are proud to support WED, not only to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as an ECD leader, but also in preparation for the UAE’s next 50 years, in line with the principles of 50.”

Cecilia Vaca Jones, the WED Movement’s Co-Chair said: “We are uniquely positioned to support Abu Dhabi as the child friendly capital of the world and have an extraordinary opportunity to drive change by preparing the next generations for the next fifty years. Through this esteemed partnership with Mubadala, we are better equipped to improve child outcomes, incorporating a holistic approach towards child development. We are committed to using the knowledge and experience of our growing team to drive innovation and help our children grow up healthier, smarter and more empowered than ever before. The future of our nation, and world, depends on them.”

The partnership also enables ECA to host the inaugural WED Main Forum, taking place next year, and will see Mubadala contribute to ECA’s Knowledge Management Platform to facilitate the free exchange of ideas. Additionally, Mubadala will work hand in hand with ECA in contributing to the implementing of many activities and programs among the initiative, as well as engage stakeholders to realize the vision of WED. Leveraging existing projects, ECA will also work with Mubadala on merging WED’s messages and visions extracted from the breakthrough working groups and translating them into plans and programs that can enhance the path of growth and prosperity of children in early childhood.

Beyond 2021, the partnership will extend into a three-year roadmap of collaboration, bringing several activities to life. By capturing the experience and insights of child health professionals, academics and educators, researchers, technology, media and design experts, WED will develop and present a series of actionable policies and programs that can be immediately implemented by ECA to benefit children in the Emirate, and beyond.