UN Presents Special Award to UAE for its Role in Government Modernisation : December 2021

 In a new achievement for the UAE, the United Nations (UN) honoured the UAE government with a special award in recognition of its role in government modernisation.

This recognition came during the United Nations Public Service Awards ceremony, the most prestigious global award in the field of public service.

The ceremony was attended by Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance at the UN.

Catherine Pollard: The UAE has developed an exceptional government work model

Catherine Pollard commended the experiences of the UAE government, and the advanced models it has developed in the field of public service.

She further noted that the special award presented by the UN reflects its appreciation of the efforts and initiatives of the UAE government, its unique model of government work, and its effective partnership with countries and international organisations for exchanging knowledge and sharing experiences.

Top Rankings on Global Competitiveness Indicators

Over the past years, the UAE government has launched strategic partnerships in the field of government modernisation under the umbrella of the government knowledge exchange program, with 9 countries worldwide. The partnerships yielded 241 successful initiatives in more than 55 work fields, and upskilled 290,000 employees and trainees through 3 millions training hours and 565 workshops.

The UAE ranked first regionally and 21st globally in the E-Government Survey 2020 conducted by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. According to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), it ranked third globally on the Government’s Responsiveness to Change indicator and fourth on the Government Long-term Vision indicator.

The UAE also ranked third globally as the most trusted government according to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer.

In addition, the UAE Government Accelerators, the first of its kind worldwide adopting acceleration and innovation to develop proactive solutions for addressing challenges, has become a hub for knowledge partnerships worldwide.

Moreover, the UAE government has also launched the World Government Summit, which serves as the largest global platform that brings together government officials and experts from around the world to shape the future. Since its launch, the Summit has held up to 1,000 sessions and hosted more than 25,000 participants and 40 international organisations. It also has signed more than 80 agreements and published more than 100 reports.

source/content: wam.ae

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Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Catherine Pollard, Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance at the UN.

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Deqa Dhalac, First Black Mayor of a small coastal US city – South Portland, Maine : December 2021

Deha Dhalac. Community Activist. Community Leader.

South Portland’s other city councilors, who are all White, elected her in a unanimous vote. The 4th largest city in Maine, is the whitest state in the country and South Portland is 90% White.

In 2018, she ran against a local business owner and won, making history as the first African American and first Muslim elected to the council.

In 2020, she ran unopposed for a second term. The city council selects from among its members who will be mayor, and in November, her colleagues unanimously supported her nomination.

Education / Community Work highlights:

  • Master’s Degree in Development Policy and Practice, University of New Hampshire 
  • Master’s Degree in Social Work, University of New England
  • Past Program Manager for The Center for Grieving Children
  • Former South Portland Schools Community Builder for the Opportunity Alliance
  • Somali Community Center of Maine
  • Board president of the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition
  • Board member of the Maine Women’s Fund
  • Family Engagement and Cultural Responsiveness Specialist with the Maine Department of Education
  • South Portland City Council, District 5 Representative

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pix: Twitter / @NewAmericanLd , New American Leaders

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AMERICAN / SOMALI

Saudia’s Mansour Al-Saleem Wins Gold Medal, World Weightlifting Championships, Tashkent : December 07th, 2021

Mansour Al-Saleem (aka) Mansour Abdulrahim Al-Saleem . Weightlifter.

Mansour Al Saleem won Saudi Arabia’s first medal in the World Senior Weightlifting Championships, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

He won the gold medal in the 118 kg category, and the silver medal went to Arly Chunti from Kazakhstan.

source/content: thenewsglory.com

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pix: thenewsglory.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Ghofrane Belkhir of Tunisia Wins Two Gold Medals, World Weightlifting Championships, Tashkent : December 09th, 2021

Ghofrane Belkhir. Weightlifter.

Tunisian weightlifter Ghofrane Belkhir (59 kg) won Thursday two gold medals in both the categories – snatch and total weight (203 kg) at the World Weightlifting Championships (December 7-17) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Belkhir is Tunisia’s only representative at this event.

On May 25; 2021 – she had already won three gold medals; weighing 59 kg during the IWF World Junior Championships competitions.

2018 Summer Youth Olympics / By Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons / en.wikipedia.org

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TUNISIA

Egyptian-American Dr. Sherif Zaki : Founder & Chief of the Infectious Disease Pathology Branch – Coordinating Centre for Infectious Diseases (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia (1955-2021)

Sherif Zaki (1955-2021): ‘CDC’s secret weapon’. Pathalogist. Legendary Disease Detective. Infectious Disease Expert.

Prominent pathologist Doctor Sherif Zaki, founder and chief of the Infectious Disease Pathology Branch in the Coordinating Centre for Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia, passed away on 21 November, 2021.

Dr. Zaki was renowned for cracking medical mysteries by finding signatures of pathogens in diseased cells.

Through the application of classic and new technologies, Dr. Zaki and his team have made significant contributions to advancing the understanding of the pathogenesis and epidemiology of emerging infectious diseases.

Moreover, for his leadership, scientific contributions and commitment to Centre for Disease Control’s (CDC) public health mission, Dr. Zaki has been widely recognised and awarded, including receiving the US Health and Human Services Secretary’s Awards for Distinguished Service – the department’s highest honour – nine times.

Dr. Zaki and his staff were the first to identify the Hanta virus, later called the Sin Nombre virus, that caused the deaths of several people in the Navajo nation in the Southwest in 1993.

He also helped discover the Zika virus in the brain tissue of babies stricken with the mosquito-borne virus in Brazil, proving that it could be transmitted during pregnancy.

Dr. Zaki also helped identify the mechanisms that made Ebola and SARS so contagious and lethal.

Sherif Ramzy Zaki was born 24 November 1955, in Alexandria, Egypt.

He spent the first six years of his life in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his father was attending graduate school.

Dr. Zaki received his medical degree from Alexandria University in 1978, before earning a master’s degree at his alma mater in pathology.

He earned a doctorate in experimental pathology from Emory University in Atlanta in 1989.

Dr. Zaki’s data on Scopus database showed that Zaki had published in the neighborhood of 400 scientific papers and had an advanced “H score” of 102 thus placing his impact on the field way above the 35-70 range for Noble Prize hopefuls.

source/content: english.ahram.org.eg

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (USA) / EGYPT / EGYPTIAN AMERICAN / ARAB AMERICAN

Saudia’s Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, MWL Chief Receives ‘Bridge Builder Award’ in Oslo, Norway : November 2021

Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa

Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Muslim Scholars Association, has received the Norwegian Bridge Builder Award at a ceremony in Oslo.

He was one of three recipients of the award in 2021, which is given to people who have helped to build bridges between individuals, nations and societies.

The other two were Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches, and Michael Melchior, Chief Rabbi and leader of the Religious Peace Initiative in Israel.

source/content: arabnews.com

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Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League (MWL) and Chairman of the Muslim Scholars Association, has received the Norwegian Bridge Builder Award. (Supplied) / pix: arabnews.com

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SAUDI ARABIA

Egypt takes over Presidency of COMESA (Common Market for Eastern & Southern Africa) : November 2021

Egypt assumed the rotating presidency of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) at its 21st summit.

In his speech, El-Sisi said Egypt will work with COMESA member states to achieve their aspirations and encourage trade, including by seeking to complete a project linking the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Victoria.

During a meeting with COMESA Secretary-General Chileshe Kapwepwe, El-Sisi said Egypt’s presidency of the bloc will strive toward economic and regional integration.

About COMESA

The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a free trade area with 21 member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini.

source/content: arabnews.com

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Egypt takes over Tuesday the chair of the COMESA – TV Screenshot / pix: egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

Amal Amjahid Belgian-Moroccan Wins her 9th, Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Title : November 13th, 2021

Amal Amjahid. Athlete. Martial Arts. Jiu Jitsu Sports. Represents Belgium.

Belgian-Moroccan Jiu-Jitsu fighter Amal Amjahid , won on November 13 her 9th world champion title after defeating the French fighter Laurence Cousin Fouillat in the 2021 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship finale.

The 26-year-old secured the title in the “below 57 kilos” category with a victory by advantage following a score of 2-2.

Amal Amjahid began Jiu-Jitsu at the age of 7 in Brussels. From 2013 to 2019, she won many world titles and medals in various competitions such as the World Games, the Grand Slam Tokyo, and the European Jiu-Jitsu Championship

source/content: moroccoworldnews.com

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pix: moroccoworldnews.com

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BELGIAN / MOROCCAN

September 21st, 1991 – Egyptian Boutros Boutros Ghali Elected Secretary-General of United Nations (U.N), becoming First Secretary-General from an Arab Country

Boutros Boutros Ghali. Politician. Diplomat. Academic

6th Secretary-General of the United Nations. First Arab Secretary-General of the UN.

Later, First Secretary-General of the Organisation International de la Francophonie from 16 November 1997 to 31 December 2002.

Vice Foreign Minister of Egpyt

source/content: egypttoday.com

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Boutros Boutros Ghali – abcnews / egypttoday.com

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EGYPT

‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’: A Somali Love Story Wins Africa’s Top Film Prize : October 24th, 2021

Khadar Ayderus Ahamed. Writer. Film Director.

Movie by Finnish-Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed won the Stallion of Yennenga grand prize at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou.

A little more than one month after it won the Amplify Voices Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, The Gravedigger’s Wife  has scooped Africa’s top film prize.

The drama, by Finnish-Somali writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, won the prestigious Stallion of Yennenga Grand Prize for Best Film at the Pan African Film Festival in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Sunday.

Filmed in Somali in Djibouti, the tenderly moving story of love and devotion follows Guled (Omar Abdi), a man who makes a precarious living from loss.

The film took home the 20 million franc ($35,714) CFA prize money and the golden stallion statue, beating 16 other African films to the top prize. The films in competition were made by directors from 15 different African countries.

It was also Somalia’s first official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2021 Academy Awards, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July.

source/content: thenationalnews.com

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Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, left, Yasmin Warsame, centre, and Omar Abdi attend ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’ photocall during the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. / AFP / thenationalnews.com

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FINLAND / SOMALIA