Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, in partnership with Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), hosted Joe Cerrell, managing director of Global Policy and Advocacy for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for a virtual seminar on 'Working Together During Covid-19: A Global Approach to Development'.
A part of the EAA/GU-Q Speaker Series, the event brought together industry experts and the wider community to learn about pressing challenges and solutions for international co-operation, drawing on Cerrell’s extensive experience in overseeing the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s relationships with donor governments in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, to support increased global engagement and global progress.
During the webinar, Cerrell discussed the central importance of multilateralism in building back better after the Covid-19 pandemic, noting that a global access plan and universal government approach can speed up recovery and add almost $9tn to global income by 2025.
Cerrell also stressed the need to create economic policies that help women in the global ‘rebuild phase’ to strengthen economic progress for years to come.
Mubarak al-Thani, communication manager and head of advocacy at EAA, said: “We are proud to partner with our distinguished academic and industry partners to deliver this important virtual talk and touch on some of the key development topics that are set to shape our global outlook. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought us face to face with the central role collaboration plays across governments, NGOs, educators and businesses. Achieving sustainable development – a long-term goal of Education Above All Foundation – will depend on a collective co-ordinated global effort to ensure a safer future for our children.”
The EAA/GU-Q Series is part of the GU-Q Virtual Hub for Global Dialogue: Engaging Communities, Finding Solutions initiative, an online platform that comprises the university's broad efforts to bring the community together for engaging discussions on a wide variety of issues.