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Education, equity & employment
The Global Education & Skills Forum (GESF) brings together world leaders from the public, private and social sectors to seek solutions to achieve education, equity and employment for all. GESF is an initiative of the Varkey Foundation, a global education charity.
Known as the "Davos of education," GESF provides the international community with a platform for collaboration and problem solving on key education issues. From 2016-2019, the Varkey Foundation convened GESF as a series of conferences in Dubai, UAE. Participants included presidents, prime ministers, education ministers, senior government officials, leading tech companies, celebrities, teachers and students. Today, GESF continues online as a series of remote events that continue to connect world leaders on education.
GESF In numbers*
Delegates
1,500+
Programming
125 hours
Ministers
40+
Past Partners
Key Speakers
Julius Maada Bio
President of Sierra Leone
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Actress
Taron Egerton
Actor
Mo Farah
Athlete
Thomas Friedman
Political commentator and author
Stefania Giannini
Assistant Director-General, UNESCO
Julia Gillard
Chair, Global Partnership for Education
Al Gore
Former Vice President, USA
Tariq Al Gurg
CEO, Dubai Cares
Lewis Hamilton
F1 Champion
Wladimir Klitschko
Former boxer and philanthropist
Steven Pinker
Researcher, psychology and cognitive science
Jaime Saavedra
Head of Education Global Practice, The World Bank
Simon Schama
Historian, Columbia University
Andreas Schleicher
Director for Education and Skills, OECD
Charlize Theron
Actress