Doha: HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), spoke at a high-level roundtable on girls' education, hosted by the First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Michelle Obama, on the sidelines of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE).
The session was moderated by Julia Gillard, board chair of the Global Partnership for Education, who gave introductory remarks on the importance of girls' education. She then gave the floor to First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke of the global education initiative Let Girls Learn.
HH Sheikha Moza then spoke of the Educate A Child program, which focuses on getting primary aged out of school children into education across the world. In the three years since it began, the program has enrolled 2.1 million children, 49 percent of which are girls. She also spoke of the specific challenges of ensuring quality and continuity of education in conflict zones.
Ms. Gillard then invited all the VIP and education experts around the table to discuss their experiences. The participants included: First Lady Silvia Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, founder of the Sylvia Bongo Ondimba Foundation; Mabel van Oranje of the Netherlands, board chair of Girls not Brides; Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, 2015 WISE Prize for Education Laureate; Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize from Liberia; and Ms. Graca Machel, former first lady of Mozambique and South Africa and founder of Graca Machel Trust.
HH Sheikha Moza also held a private meeting with First Lady Silvia Bongo Ondimba of Gabon to discuss the work of the first lady's foundation and explore areas of mutual interest related to education.
QNA
