UAE Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development HH Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan delivered opening remarks
180 students representing 50 countries met with the Head of the European Union Delegation Ambassador Mihai Stefan Stuparu and the Ambassadors of European Union Member States in the UAE over round table discussions in celebration of Europe Day in Abu Dhabi.
Students from Higher Colleges of Technology, New York University Abu Dhabi, and Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi organized the event held on May 7 at the Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi campus. H.E Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development gave the welcoming address, which was followed by a speech by HE Dr. Mihai Stuparu, Head of the EU Delegation.
The organizers of the event were inspired to create an environment that would allow students to learn more about European culture and identity through interaction with community leaders and Diplomats from European Union Member States. Ambassadors from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, and Sweden were in attendance, in addition to senior diplomats representing Finland, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and a representative from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Each country representative led a round table discussion with students from the participating universities.
“The United Arab Emirates is an important partner of the EU, and considering the strong bilateral relations between both, the commemoration of Europe Day in the UAE comes as a significant event that we are really happy to be celebrating together,” said HE Dr. Stuparu.
Welcoming the guests, Professor Eric Fouache, Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi Vice-Chancellor, underlined the university’s delight in hosting the event for the first time, given its significance for students. “The event is an excellent opportunity for interacting with diverse cultures to gain better understanding of the European Union and its unity under the principles of peace and equality,” he said, observing that upcoming years will see wider activities during the event.
“Education paves the way for a brighter future. It prepares young generations to share in global development and will always be the axis around which the prosperity of nations, the evolution of societies and the building of civilizations revolve,” said Prof. Fouache, highlighting the key role played by Sorbonne Abu Dhabi as a bridge between the European and Arab cultures and a beacon of education and culture across the Middle East.
Through engaging conversations over dinner, students gained a better understanding about the key values pertaining to identity, unity, and peace in Europe. They also had the opportunity to better understand EU-UAE relations from first-hand accounts.
The European Diplomats also had the chance to learn more about the students’ experiences in the UAE and enjoyed watching their musical performances.
Toma Pavlov, Chairperson of NYUAD’s European Society, said: “As we now realize how valuable this partnership between HCT, NYUAD, and PSUAD has been, we hope to create a platform for future collaboration and continue to have intercultural events on a regular basis.”
About the EU Delegation to the UAE
The European Union Delegation to the UAE was established to initiate, promote, support and develop bilateral dialogue and cooperation for the mutual benefit of the EU and the UAE.
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi consists of a highly selective liberal arts and science college (including engineering), and a world center for advanced research and scholarship — all fully integrated with each other and connected to NYU in New York. Together, NYU New York, NYU Abu Dhabi, and NYU Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global network university, with faculty and students from each campus spending “semesters away” at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on five continents.
About Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi university was established in May 2006, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) and Paris-Sorbonne University. Paris-Sorbonne Abu Dhabi is an Emirati university, that benefits from the 760 years of experience of the prestigious Sorbonne, with a state-of-the-art campus located on Al Reem Island combining comfort with the efficiency of new technologies. The method, the education, the degrees however are French, issued by the University of Paris-Sorbonne in the field of Humanities, by the University of Paris-Descartes for Law, Management and Economics and by Pierre and Marie Curie University in science. Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi offers world-class degrees, both in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, following the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and also accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is devoted to Abu Dhabi’s vision of creating a cultural and scientific hub, and is an agent to realize this 2030 vision by delivering the future Emirati and international workforce and contributing to support the UAE’s economic diversification.