Dr. Farida Al Hosani becomes First Emirati Female to join World Health Organisation’s Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework Advisory Group

Dr Farida Al Hosani.

AbuDhabi Public Health Centre, the region’s first dedicated centre protecting the physical, mental and social wellbeing of Abu Dhabi’s population by raising public and preventative healthcare awareness, is pleased to announce that H.E. Dr Farida Al Hosani, Infectious Disease Expert and Executive Director of Infectious Diseases and Official Spokesperson for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Health Sector, has joined the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework (PIP Framework) Advisory Group as a Member for the period 2022-2024.

Members of the Advisory Group are appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation and serve, in their personal, expert capacity, for a period of three years. The key goal of the framework is to improve and strengthen the sharing of information about influenza viruses with human pandemic potential, and to increase the access to vaccines and other pandemic related supplies for developing countries.

The PIP Framework is focused on the sharing of information around influenza viruses and promoting the access to vaccines and other benefits. It was adopted in May 2011 by the 64th World Health Assembly which comprises 18 members drawn from three Member States in each WHO Region.

source/content: mediaoffice.abudhabi

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

UAE becomes World’s Largest Rough Diamond Trading Hub

The Industry convenes for Dubai Diamond Conference 2022.

DMCC – the world’s flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise – today hosted its flagship Dubai Diamond Conference (DDC) held under the theme “The Future of Diamonds”. 

In his opening remarks, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, announced that the UAE reached the top spot globally as a rough diamond hub, trading over USD 22.8 billion worth of rough diamonds in 2021. The country’s polished segment continues to grow at pace, closing in on the current market leader. 

Since 2015, the UAE has increased its rough diamonds trade by 76%, overtaking Belgium as the world’s leading rough trade hub. The total diamond trade in the UAE grew by 83% between 2020 and 2021, demonstrating both the industry’s resilience and Dubai’s critical role in the global sector. Dubai boasts direct flights to other diamond hubs across the world, including mining countries in Africa and manufacturing centres in India, resulting in a connected supply chain with Dubai at its centre. Additionally, Dubai is home to the two Kimberly Process (KP) offices in the UAE, making the emirate the only entry point for rough diamonds in the country.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, and Chairman, Dubai Diamond Exchange, said: “I am humbled to share that in 2021, Dubai, UAE, became the number one rough diamond trading hub in the world. With USD 22.8 billion in rough trade last year, we are continuing to grow thanks to the trust and support received from so many of our guests here today – we accomplished this together. This major milestone clearly demonstrates the determination of both Dubai and DMCC in advancing the global industry.

DMCC’s Dubai Diamond Exchange is the largest diamond tender facility in the world and home to over 1,100 diamond companies, providing members and industry professionals with state-of-the-art infrastructure, facilities and services to trade with confidence. 

source/content: mediaoffice.ae

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(L to R) Bruce Cleaver-CEO, De Beers, Iris Van Der Veken – Exec Director, Responsible Jewellery Council, Amit Dhamani – CEO & MD, Dhamani Jewels Group and Ahmed Bin Sulayem – CEO & Exec Chairman, DMCC

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

World’s Largest Hand-Knotted Carpet Housed in Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi – UAE.

 The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s main prayer hall housed the world’s largest carpet, a unique masterpiece with dazzling beauty and design. The carpet was hand-knotted by a group of the world’s most skilled artists and weavers.

The wool and cotton carpet was hand-crafted by around 1,200 artisans. It is 5,400 square metres, with 40 knots per 6.5 centimetres and 2.5 billion knots for the entire carpet, weighing 35 tons after completion.

Despite its enormous size, the carpet was designed as a single piece, which qualified it for the Guinness Book of Records in 2017 as the largest carpet in the world. Its knotting took approximately 12 months.

With unique harmony and integration of aesthetic elements, the carpet covers the floor of the main prayer hall and magnifies its splendour. The hand-woven carpet has an astonishing design, looking like a reflection of the above chandelier. Its background features a variety of 25 natural colours from traditional herbs, including local madar roots, pomegranate peels, leaf veins, and others.

The carpet is predominately green, bringing a sense of calm and comfort to the place. To maintain the beauty of the design, a shaving technique was used to define the rows of worshipers on the carpet.

The carpet weaving took place in three large workshops on a built-up area of 5,000 square metres. The carpet’s high-quality materials, colours, and creative design make it one of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s finest elements. It is carefully supervised by Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, with its maintenance work taking more than 12 days according to thoughtful plans by specialized teams.

source/content: wam.ae

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

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)

Emirati Rashid Al Mulla Wins Freestyle in UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship : November 2021

The Abu Dhabi Aquabike Team has recorded a new success for Emirati sports, with Rashid Al Mulla winning the title in the “Freestyle” category in the final round of the World Aquabike Championship, which was held in Kuwait.

The championship, witnessed the participation of 52 bikers from 26 countries from throughout the world.

Al Mulla won the gold medal and the overall title, reaching 100 points in the overall standings of the competition.

The Emirati’s latest triumph came after Abu Dhabi team-mate Emma-Nellie had won the ladies title in the Parallel Slalom World Championship staged under floodlights on Friday evening.

Al Mulla’s title is one of the new achievements for the Emirati team this summer, especially after the Abu Dhabi Team won gold and the title in the Formula 2 World Championship, as well as gold and silver in the 12-hour Formula 2 World Championship, in addition to leading the current world championship standings.

source/content: wam.ae

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah the Emirati Diplomat who Designed UAE’s Flag

Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah 

UAE Flag Day – November 03rd.

It is commemorated every year on the anniversary, which is, however, not a public holiday.

The day is marked by schools, government offices, businesses, and individuals hanging the national flag outside their homes and workplaces.

The veteran Emirati diplomat, Abdullah Mohammed Al Maainah, had designed the symbol of the country’s unity, pride and dignity when he was only a teenager 19 years old.

Al Maainah’s design was chosen among more than 1,030 entries submitted as part of a nationwide contest.

Later, the winning flag was raised on December 2, 1971 — the Foundation Day of the UAE.

On December 2, it will be exactly 50 years since the UAE flag was first hoisted to mark the country’s union.

Curiously, he did not know his design had been selected until he saw the flag fluttering at Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi with his own eyes.

“It was an overwhelming feeling. All of us were happy because we had unified as one country. However, I was overjoyed the most,” said the veteran diplomat, as he recalled how he found out about the contest and prepared for it with barely any time or resources.

“One of the arrangements related to declaring the establishment of the UAE at that time was to design a flag for it. A committee was formed to look into the matter and an advertisement was put out in the Al Ittihad newspaper inviting submissions from various artists,” he reminisced.

Al Maainah said he stumbled upon the advertisement just three days before the deadline was to expire.

“It was a race against time, as I didn’t have any drawing tools or colouring pencils. I rushed out to get them and worked all night to come up with the design. It was a happy feeling staying awake for the sake of designing the flag for my beloved country,” he added.

Only two flags were raised on December 2, 1971, to mark the formation of the nation – one in Abu Dhabi, the other at Union House in Dubai.

Al Maainah said the colours of the UAE flag were not chosen randomly.

“Every colour has an innate meaning. White symbolises peace, goodness and purity, black represents solidarity, green stands for hope, prosperity and development while red denotes bravery and courage,” he added.

Later, he was awarded 4,000 riyals as prize money, as the UAE dirham was yet to be introduced as the legal tender.

Al Maainah, who has travelled around the world as the UAE’s ambassador to several foreign missions, cherishes the honour bestowed on him by the country’s wise and visionary leadership for his design of the flag.

source/content : khaleejtimes.com

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pix: khaleejtimes.com

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Emirati Engineer Mohammed Hassan Wins Seat in Int’l Electrotechnical Commission Young Professionals Programme (IEC YPP) : October 07th, 2021

Mohamed Hassan. Engieer.

 Mohamed Hassan, Physical Health Engineer at the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, has won the Asia and the Middle East seat in the International Electrotechnical Commission’s Young Professionals Programme (IEC YPP).

The UAE nominated four candidates in security, services, nuclear energy, oil and gas, renewable energy, industry and telecommunications for the IEC YPP, which was an integral part of the 85th General Assembly of the IEC.

The event was hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and took place in Dubai between 3rd and 7th October, 2021.

The IEC provides a global institutional framework that encourages global cooperation between 172 countries (89 members and 83 affiliates) and more than 20,000 technical experts, who come together to discuss, shape and enhance the field of standards, specifications and certifications in electrical and electronic devices and systems.

source/content: wam.ae

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

‘Lamat Shaml’ Wins ‘UAE President’s Cup World Series for Purebred Arabian Horses’, Germany: September 2021

‘Lamat Shaml’ wins 28th edition of UAE President’s Cup World Series for Purebred Arabian Horses in Germany.

 “Lamat Shaml,” owned by Walid bin Zayed, galloped to win the Cup.

Evsheim grass track in the German city of Baden-Baden hosted the seventh leg of the global series of races, in one of the largest confrontations and the most important races on European tracks.

Since 1994, the UAE President Cup Series has put Arabian horse racing in the spotlight on some of the biggest stages in the world. 

source/content: wam.ae

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pix: wam.ae

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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)

Tokyo Paralympics: UAE’s Sultan Alaryani Wins Gold : September 2021

Abdulla Sultan Alaryani . Rifle Shooting. Athlete.

UAE’s Abdullah Sultan Alaryani won the country’s first gold medal in the men’s 50m rifle at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

It is the two-time world champion’s second Paralympic title; he won the gold in London in 2012 and a silver at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. For Alaryani, it is his fifth games medal.

Sultan Alaryani’s gold came after Mohamed Al Hammadi won a bronze in the men’s 100m T34 at the Tokyo Games.

source/content: khaleejtimes.com

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pix: paralympic.org

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E.)

Emirati Actress Mahira Abdel Aziz in Netflix’s 3-Season series ‘The Platform’ : 2021

Mahira Abdel Aziz. TV Host. Broadcaster. Actor

Currently performing her first acting role in UAE-made Netflix’s thriller ‘Platform’

Emirati actor Mahira Abdel Aziz plays Sheikha.

She co-stars with high-profile names including Maxim Khalil, Abdulmohsen AlNemr, Salloum Haddad, Muna Wassef, Khaled Al-Qish and Leen Gherra.

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pix: .facebook.com/page.mahiraabdelaziz

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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (U.A.E)