Events at Expo 2020 Dubai
Dignified Storytelling is featured across Expo 2020’s rich calendar of specialist programming, which reflects and celebrates the spirit of Dignified Storytelling throughout the 6-month event.
Encompassing cultural, social, economic, environmental and UAE-based themes, the program series has been curated in close collaboration with Expo’s International and Non-Official Participants, International Organizations, Commercial Partners, as well as various UAE entities, and seeks to garner solidarity around global challenges, spotlight areas of mutual interest and importance, and ensure the emergence of a meaningful legacy at the national, regional and international level.
Official lineup
Working Together to Safeguard our Collective Future
5 October, 2021
15.00 – 18.00
Opportunity Co-create
Climate & Biodiversity Week
Open to public / Hybrid
As humans, we need to acknowledge that people and the planet are interconnected. This session will shed light on the importance of working together to safeguard our collective future by spotlighting stories that empower individuals and their communities to engage in solutions that mitigate climate change and promote biodiversity.
Stories of Great Ambition and Hope
18 October, 2021
15:00 - 18:00
Terra Auditorium
Space Week
Open to public / Hybrid
Space stories can be a source of inspiration, great ambition and hope for people. They can encourage us to achieve the impossible and work together. How do we leave a deep and meaningful impact on people through space stories? This session will engage storytellers and communication experts working with space agencies to talk about stories from big blockbuster space missions, and share hopeful and exciting experiences.
Local Stories that Empower, Improve and Transform
1 November, 2021
16.30 – 19.30
Opportunity Forum
Urban & Rural
Open to public / Hybrid
Placing human dignity at the heart of storytelling, this event aims to foster a common understanding of how storytelling in development contexts can maintain the voice, integrity and dignity of people and communities. This session will deploy journalists, storytellers, communication experts and development practitioners to illustrate how communities across urban and rural areas challenge stereotypes, amplify local voices, explain nuances and complexities, and build empathy rather than eliciting sympathy.
Tolerance & Inclusivity
19 November, 2021
15.00 – 18.00
Terra Auditorium
Tolerance & Inclusivity
Open to public / Hybrid
Tolerance and inclusivity are core pillars of the 10 principles of Dignified Storytelling. This event will bring together development and humanitarian practitioners and experts, along with storytellers, to address an ever-growing need for storytelling to break down walls of prejudice and uphold principles of intercultural harmony. This session will also advocate for collective effort and highlight how each of us has the power to meaningfully contribute to positive change within our families, communities, and the wider world.
Education and Knowledge Transfer
14 December, 2021
15.00 – 18.00
Opportunity Co-create
Knowledge & Learning Week
Open to public / Hybrid
Placing human dignity at the heart of storytelling, this event aims to foster a common understanding of how storytelling in development contexts can maintain the voice, integrity and dignity of people and communities. This session will deploy journalists, storytellers, communication experts and development practitioners to illustrate stories about education and knowledge transfer between local and indigenous communities.
Empathetic Volunteer Stories from Abroad
11 January, 2022
15.00 – 18.00
Opportunity Co-create
Travel & Connectivity Week
Open to public / Hybrid
Every year, millions of people of all ages travel around the world to volunteer and help communities in need. This session will deploy volunteers who are storytellers, or who work with storytellers, to share experiences of how stories can empower and inspire both contributors and audiences to work towards positive change.
A Close Look at how Communities are Responding to the SDGs
21 January, 2022
09:00 – 12:00
Opportunity Forum
Global Goals Week
Open to public / Hybrid
Placing human dignity at the heart of storytelling, this event aims to foster a common understanding of how storytelling in development contexts can maintain the voice, integrity and dignity of people and communities. This session will deploy journalists, storytellers, communication experts, and development practitioners to share stories that localise the Agenda 2030 goals.
Stories from the Frontlines
1 February, 2022
15.00-18.00
Opportunity Co-create
Health & Wellness Week
Open to public / Hybrid
Placing human dignity at the heart of storytelling, this event aims to foster a common understanding of how storytelling in development contexts can maintain the voice, integrity and dignity of people and communities. This session will invite journalists, storytellers, communication experts and development practitioners to share stories about community health workers from the frontline.
Beyond Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods
22 February, 2022
15.00 – 18.00
Terra Auditorium
Food, Agriculture & Livelihoods Week
Open to public / Hybrid
This event will engage journalists, storytellers, communication experts and development practitioners to illustrate stories about the important role of agriculture, and communities’ role in growing food and livelihoods. It will shed light on success stories from farmers as well as young entrepreneurs that signal hope for the future of agriculture.
Telling WASH Stories That Matter
21 March, 2022
15.00 – 18.00
Opportunity Co-create
Water Week
Open to public / Hybrid
This event will bring journalists, storytellers, communication experts and development practitioners together to share stories about getting clean drinking water to communities, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) initiatives, and community dependence on water-based ecosystems for sustenance and subsistence.
