Mustafa Abdul-Azim (Dubai)
International Expo exhibitions are distinguished by being platforms for showcasing inspiring projects and innovations that lead to real improvements in the lives of individuals around the world. That is why the Expo 2020 Dubai edition of the International Best Practices Program enjoys broad support from the International Exhibitions Bureau, as it comes at the right time to surpass the consequences of COVID-19, and brings together a series of innovative, comprehensive and transformative solutions that face the new challenges posed by the pandemic, so that these challenges can be faced and overcome together. countries, covering five areas of focus, namely digitization, education, skills development, health and wellness, water, sanitation and hygiene, and livelihood protection. Expo 2020 Dubai recently selected five new projects to join its program for global best practices, following a call launched by the program to provide short-term and long-term solutions to challenges. caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the number of best practice solutions to 50, all of which are simple and effective home-grown innovations that address a range of major global challenges, including those in the Sustainable Development Agenda, the agenda of 17 global goals designed to achieve Peace and prosperity for people and planet.
New innovationsNew projects included a wearable device that sounds an alert to maintain social distancing, a Jordanian program helping vulnerable communities build online businesses during the pandemic lockdown, a low-tech invention for safe handwashing in rural Ghana, and a program Delivering essential healthcare using smart offline apps in remote communities and interactive videos to help keep children active and happy at home.
My house is my playground In front of the second project, it is the “Mi Casa, Mi Cancha” project of the Chilean company Futbolmas. The series of videos entitled “Mi Casa, Mi Cancha” (My house is my playground) seeks to stimulate learning and physical activity among children and adolescents, aged 6 and 14 years old, and the space available for their activities is getting smaller. The series generates routine activities, raising awareness in light of improving mental and physical health at home without the need for sports equipment.
Safe distanceIn the forefront of the five projects recently added to the Expo 2020 program for best global practices, the "Safe Distance" project, developed by the Belgian company "Lupus", during the Covid-19 pandemic, using sound, light and vibration alarms to warn in the event of Exceeding the social distance distance, which is a small, light and portable device that measures the distance to other Safe Distance devices in real time to ensure sufficient distance between people. Once the social distancing distance is exceeded, this wearable technology works with sound, light and vibration alerts. It can also help track and trace patients with COVID-19.
Reach 52 The third project is the “REACH 52” project of the Singaporean REACH 52 Foundation, which emerged as the institution’s rapid response to the Corona pandemic. Smart devices that do not require internet connection and low-tech platforms, which contributed to addressing the problem of giving false information, and enabling community members to check their symptoms accurately. REACH52 benefits more than 1,000 rural communities in India, the Philippines and Cambodia.
Stat Bayut In front of the fourth project, which is the “Stat Bayut” and “Mixie” project, of the Jordanian company, Setat Bayut, it also emerged as a response to the Corona pandemic, by working directly with vulnerable communities in Jordan, especially women working from their homes in light of the procedures Lockdown.During the pandemic, the project developed a vocational training program to train women to produce clothing and handmade goods, helping them enter the labor market, grow their businesses online, and provide additional income for their families.
Through this project, female users acquire skills that enable them to speed up their work via the Internet from home, give them the opportunity to work in local clothing factories, and make them certified “makers” in the “Mixie” application, which is the sister e-commerce platform for Six Homes. Mixi is an accredited network of more than 500 “makers” who process various orders from their homes – helping them enter the labor market, grow their businesses via the Internet, and provide additional income for their families.
Maggie Bucket The fifth project is the UAE-based Project Magee Bucket, a safe, low-tech and low-cost invention produced by people of determination in Ghana to support safe hand-washing practices in rural communities in Ghana. To date, the Foundation has trained thousands of people of determination in proper hand-cleaning practices and distributed soap bars to various Magi communities in Ghana. Alongside this hand-cleaning campaign, the Foundation created the Maggie Bucket, a comprehensive, low-cost, easy-to-replicate facility designed to ensure safe hand-washing practices in rural Ghana.
Best Practices The Global Best Practices Program was launched in 2018 under the theme “Small Steps, Big Leaps: Simple Solutions for Sustainable Impact”, a commitment mandated by the BIE in 2010 that all World Expos highlight tangible solutions that can be emulated, adapted and expanded Its scope is to create a greater global impact, highlighting the role of the World Expo as an influential platform for inspiring change and advancing human progress. The expansion of the Global Best Practices program embodies the Expo’s goal of bringing the world together – in line with the slogan “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” – to advance Positive change and support for projects coming from around the world that communities need right now.