Cultural cooperation in the Emirates is governed by the ‘Cooperation Agreement on Culture, Art and Heritage’ of 2012, ratified in 2017.
Expo2020 Dubai has played a central role in bringing the two countries closer together. In 2021, Italy’s participation as guest of honour at the Sharjah International Book Fair further consolidated the excellent cultural relations, responding to the strong demand for Italian culture in the UAE.
The Italian Cultural Institute, the first in the Gulf region, has been active in Abu Dhabi since 2021.
The promotion of the Italian language
– Italian language courses are operating in several universities and schools in the country. There are also courses for the general public, organised by Italian cultural associations in Abu Dhabi (Cicer Abu Dhabi) and Dubai (Dubai Italian Association), and Italian courses run by Eton Institute.
– An Italian chair has been assigned to Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and an Italian course is active at Zayed University UAE, both with a financial contribution from MAECI.
– The Italian International School opened in Abu Dhabi in 2022, offering an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum enriched with Italian language elements.
Studying in the UAE
– The Masdar Institute and IRENA, offer scholarships to young students interested in energy disciplines.
– In addition, most of the country’s universities (United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Khalifa University, Canadian University Dubai, Middlesex University Dubai, Zayed University) provide international scholarships.
– Istituto Marangoni, an Italian school of higher education in fashion and design, opened an office in Dubai in 2022.
– A total of 11 university cooperation agreements are in place between Italian universities and their Emirati counterparts.