DOHA, Qatar, November 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned, Chair of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development will inaugurate the first edition of the World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE, to be held in Doha, Qatar under Her patronage on November 16th-18th in Ritz Carlton Hotel.

The final programme for WISE, an initiative of Qatar Foundation, reveals an all-encompassing schedule which has been orchestrated to generate international dialogue and debate over the three days of the Summit. The audience will participate in a series of plenary and breakout sessions that have been designed to explore the three themes of Pluralism, Sustainability and Innovation in education. Among the key participants this year, WISE welcomes Guest of Honour Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO.

Her Highness will deliver the Opening address in the presence of 1,000 participants, from the fields of education, politics, the private sector, NGOs and media from 120 countries.

Eminent speakers will address the Summit, among which are Gerhard Schroder, former German Chancellor; Kiyotaka Akasaka, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, United Nations; Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, President, University of Qatar; Anthony Salcito, Vice President, Microsoft - Worldwide Education, Biz Stone, Co-Founder of Twitter; as well as, Ruth Dreifuss, Chancellor, University for Peace, former President of the Swiss Confederation (1999).

WISE - will trigger a coordinated and comprehensive international effort to address educational challenges of the 21st century. Over 90 world-class speakers and moderators will attend the Summit. Throughout the three days the delegates will pool their expertise, share new ideas, detail best practices in education, and work towards ultimately developing a blueprint for sustainable, innovative and pluralistic education.

The stand-out features of the WISE programme (detailed in full below) are the 5 plenary sessions and 19 breakout sessions aligned with the Summit's main theme of Global Education: Working Together for Sustainable Achievements and incorporating the three interwoven sub-themes of Pluralism, Sustainability and Innovation.

Through the theme of Pluralism, WISE looks to work together towards greater mutual respect and understanding, promote increased access and equality to education and prepare students for their role as global citizens.

Sustainability focuses on educational systems through funding, governance, meeting needs and integrating different educational levels.

The theme of Innovation will be explored in the context of facilitating access to information, driving change in content and anticipating future trends.

The 19 breakout sessions will allow renowned leaders and education specialists to present their visions while engaging with the audience for an interactive experience. These sessions will focus on some of education's most pressing challenges, these include: 'Global Education', 'National Policies', 'Selected Priorities', 'Solutions' and 'Tomorrow's Education'.

The WISE Awards - an international call for pioneering education-related projects, attracted 588 worldwide entries. Six laureates, selected by a renowned international jury, will have the opportunity to showcase their projects before leading influencers and collect a grand prize of $20,000. The laureates will be honoured at a prestigious Gala Dinner on the second evening of WISE on November 17th in the presence of Her Highness and Ms Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, First Lady of France.

The ultimate goal of WISE is to find constructive ways to turn words into actions in order to collaboratively identify future trends and address current education challenges at local, national and international levels. On November 18th the Closing Plenary Session - will serve to draw the Final Declaration which will sum up main conclusions, ideas and determine concrete actions for the next years to come. These conclusions and highlights of the Summit will serve to draft the WISE Final Report, as well as help create the WISE follow-up structure, both will ensure that concepts are converted into measurable actions and that new international collaborations are initiated.

Discover the entire programme on WISE website: http://www.wise-qatar.org/en/day-1

About WISE

WISE (World Innovation Summit for Education) is a global, groundbreaking collaborative initiative established by the Qatar Foundation under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned. WISE seeks to monitor and contribute to 21st century challenges and their impact on education. With 1,000 leading education stakeholders, opinion leaders and decision-makers from diverse disciplines in over 120 countries participating, WISE endeavours to propose visionary thinking on education, offer new ways of addressing current global challenges and untapped opportunities and anticipate future education models. The WISE Forum will take place in Doha, Qatar, from November 16th to 18th, 2009. Full details on the WISE website: http://www.wise-qatar.org

About Qatar Foundation

Founded in 1995 by decree of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, Qatar Foundation is a non-profit organization focusing on education, scientific research and community development. Under Qatar Foundation's umbrella are Education City, which comprises elite universities, several academic and training programs and Qatar Science and Technology Park, which boasts more than twenty-one world-class companies involved in scientific research and development.

Chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Qatar Foundation also aims to enhance lives through community development initiatives including Doha Debates, Reach out To Asia and Al Jazeera Children's Channel.

Joint venture partnerships in the areas of design, ICT, telecommunications, policy studies and event management contribute to fulfilling the objectives of the Qatar Foundation.

For more information, please visit: http://www.qf.org.qa

For further information, please contact: Emilie Demange / Constance Lozet Tel: +33(0)1-47-42-19-54 / +33(0)1-47-42-92-78 Email: wisepr@fleishman.com

SOURCE: World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE

CONTACT: For further information, please contact: Emilie Demange /Constance Lozet, Tel: +33(0)1-47-42-19-54 / +33(0)1-47-42-92-78, Email:wisepr@fleishman.com