Abu Dhabi Festival announce 2013 official international charity beneficiary

Each year, proceeds from the Abu Dhabi Festival are donated to one or more charities, in keeping with the spirit of 'Bilad Al Khayr' (The Land of Blessings), a core value of the Festival that upholds the principles of tolerance, respect and enlightenment across the seven Emirates.

This year, the Foundation shall donate proceeds it receives from Abu Dhabi Festival 2013 ticket sales to its international beneficiary, the UNESCO initiative 'Better Life, Better Future'.

Overcoming the gender gap is one of UNESCO's major priorities. Globally, close to 39 million girls of lower secondary age are currently not enrolled in either primary or secondary education, while two thirds of the world's 796 million illiterate adults are women.

Only about one third of countries have achieved gender parity at secondary level.[i] The 'Better Life, Better Future' partnership for girls' and women's education addresses two main areas requiring increased attention to drive change- secondary education and literacy.

It seeks to implement programmes aimed at stemming the dropout of adolescent girls in the transition from primary to secondary education, as well as focus on scaling up women's literacy programmes. The programmes include strong advocacy and partnerships with local communities, non-governmental organizations and private sector partners.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, said, "The Abu Dhabi Festival is known as the festival of partnerships. UNESCO is honoured that the Festival has decided to support the Global Partnership for Girls' and Women's Education by donating a percentage of its ticket proceeds. This generous gesture will help us to ensure that more young girls and women are empowered through education to develop their talents and shape a better future. It will benefit innovative projects involving new public and private partners that have come on board because they know that investing in girls' and women's education is a matter of human dignity that ultimately benefits communities and societies at all levels."

H.E. Mrs. Hoda I. Al Khamis - Kanoo, Founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and Artistic Director of the Abu Dhabi Festival, spoke of ADMAF's shared vision with UNESCO's ideals and achievements: "Female illiteracy is widely acknowledged as a barrier to prosperity and growth. Young girls and women everywhere should have the opportunity to make an impact in their communities. Whilst the Abu Dhabi Festival is a celebration of culture and creativity, we ultimately strive to make a difference in communities. The 'Better Life, Better Future' partnership with UNESCO represents ADMAF's and the Festival's commitment to working with society to uphold respect and tolerance as well as drive education. I look forward to the growth of this partnership and hope that it further advances the noble cause of global literacy."

Celebrating its landmark 10th edition in 2013, Abu Dhabi Festival will bring a spectacular four-week programme of world-class, innovative, artistic talent to the UAE capital, further affirming itself as one of the leading cultural events on the world stage. The Festival's commitment to pushing the boundaries of cultural and artistic expression runs throughout the entire fabric of the 2013 Festival with a schedule featuring classical music, theatre, opera, ballet and the visual arts.

Throughout the duration, Students may benefit from a 50% discount upon presentation of valid student ID at the Abu Dhabi Festival.