DUBAI, (Pakistan Point News - 17th Aug, 2020) Under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence; Dubai Cares, part of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives; Atlantis, The Palm; and world-renowned artist Sacha Jafri have launched ‘Humanity Inspired’, an art initiative that aims to raise more than AED110 million in support of an initiative to boost digital equality across the world. The funds will be raised through the auction of the largest canvas painting ever created.
‘Humanity Inspired’ will support a joint global effort by Dubai Cares and its partners United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, to scale up digital connectivity and provide equitable access to remote learning for children and youth across the world.
The humanitarian initiative, which seeks to connect 1 billion people through art, will also support the Global Gift Foundation’s key projects centred on children’s education and wellbeing, with a special focus on helping those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Partners from the public sector in the UAE including the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, Ministry of Education, and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, DTCM, are also part of the initiative.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak said the UAE has become a leading player in strengthening bridges of international cooperation by spreading the culture of tolerance, coexistence and peace. ‘Humanity Inspired’ seeks to provide children and youth regardless of their gender, nationality, race or religion with access to connectivity in order to pursue their education, he further said.
Under the slogan, Let’s Paint the World a Different Colour’, and centered around the themes of ‘Isolation’ and ‘Connection’, ‘Humanity Inspired’ is driven by the goal of creating positive change.
Working over a period of 20 weeks at a ballroom in Atlantis, The Palm, converted into the world’s largest artist’s studio, Dubai-based Jafri will create a massive painting titled ‘The Journey of Humanity’. Due to be completed by 7 September, the painting is set to create a Guinness World Record for ‘The Largest Art Canvas’. The initiative has been endorsed by more than 100 celebrities from across the globe, including: Virat Kohli, Eva Longoria, Deepak Chopra, Brooklyn Beckham, Holly Branson, Ronan Keating, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Shilpa Shetty, Pixie Lott, Leona Lewis, Nile Rodgers, David Walliams, Katie Piper, Luis Fonsi, Kylian Mbappe, Kirsty Gallacher and Rita Ora, among others.
Funds raised by the painting’s auction will contribute towards mitigating the significant disparities between industrialised and developing countries in digital access. Dubai Cares and its partners will launch a Global Declaration on Connectivity with the aim of establishing digital access for learning and livelihood as the right of every young person.
Sheikh Nahyan said ‘Humanity Inspired’ will advance the UAE's leading role in the field of digital cooperation and smart cities, which was highlighted by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai in his keynote address at a virtual event chaired by the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to launch the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation.
Speaking about the significance of the charitable initiative, Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares and Member of its board of Directors said: "The COVID-19 pandemic forced 192 countries to close down schools and universities, affecting more than 1.5 billion school-aged children and youth, who represent around 90% of the world’s student population. More than 60 million teachers were also no longer in the classroom. Given this reality, we are very excited to join forces with Atlantis, The Palm and Sacha Jafri in this ambitious charitable initiative. I am confident that this inspirational initiative will help us tackle the impact of this pandemic on education by promoting access to connectivity and equipping children and youth globally with the digital resources they need to pursue their education."
The initiative will see UN agencies, UAE Government entities, NGOs and private sector firms working together to promote its mission. Dubai Cares will manage the entire campaign locally and globally by coordinating with all partners and stakeholders to ensure alignment and successful delivery. In the UAE, the Ministry of Education will be inviting students from schools across the country to submit their artwork. The Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing will engage their networks to promote the initiative.
Jafri’s 1,800 square metre painting, which is larger in area than two football pitches combined, will be unveiled at Atlantis, The Palm in November 2020. It will then be projected onto the UAE’s most iconic landmarks and displayed in the world’s leading museums. After its global tour, ‘The Journey of Humanity’ will be divided into 60 individually numbered, signed, catalogued, and framed canvases and auctioned at a gala dinner in December 2020. Buyers from over 140 countries will be invited to participate in the auction through live streaming. Each successful bidder will own a piece of the largest painting ever created on canvas, and more significantly, a piece of history.
The initiative aims to engage with tens of millions of children around the world by inviting them to submit their drawings, pictures, paintings, collages and sketches via www.Humanity-Inspired.com on the theme of isolation and connection amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Jafri will incorporate their ‘artworks’ into the first layer of his Canvas (the Soul), within huge circular portals which will serve as windows to portray a better future from a child’s perspective - ‘Windows to a Better World’.
Speaking about his inspiration for the ambitious initiative, which is sponsored by Dana Holdings and Four Seasons Ramesh Gallery, Sacha Jafri said: "After a conversation with UNICEF earlier in the year, my eyes were opened to the fact that an estimated 385 million children live in extreme poverty around the world. These numbers have almost doubled in the last four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has affected every community across the globe and taken the lives of thousands, but it has also changed our mindset, and this means we have a window of opportunity for change. ‘Humanity Inspired’ aims to be a catalyst for true social change through the hearts, minds and souls of the children of the world. My painting, ‘The Journey of Humanity’ will support the delivery of improved education and connectivity."
Speaking about the record-breaking venture, Timothy Kelly, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Atlantis Dubai, said: "As one of the world’s leading family destinations, we are honoured to support an initiative that will help to unite and strengthen different societies at a time when we need it most, while capturing the imaginations of children and their families across the globe. This initiative, which aligns itself with our ongoing corporate social responsibility efforts, will achieve many milestones while raising much-needed support for children, as well as bringing positive change in the lives of many. We are proud to support Sacha Jafri, Dubai Cares and other global charitable organisations in this humanitarian initiative."
Talal Omar, Director, MENA at Guinness World Records, said: "We are delighted to work with Dubai Cares, Atlantis The Palm and Sacha Jafri alongside ‘Humanity Inspired’ partners involved in this world record attempt, because supporting the community is at the heart of what we do. There are many challenges facing children across the world today. We are pleased to be part of this initiative, and with this spirit of philanthropy comes a responsibility to get the message across. We are here to support this initiative and promote the efforts of those who are involved. We are delighted to give them a chance to become Officially Amazing."
