Arabs & Arabian Records Aggregator. Chronicler. Milestones of the 25 Countries of the Arabic Speaking World (official / co-official). AGCC. MENA. Global. Ist's to Top 10's. Records. Read & Enjoy./ www.arabianrecords.org
Tag: UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has announced Dr. Mohamed El-Erian, President of Queens’ College at Cambridge University, as the winner of the first Great Arab Minds (GAM) award in the economics category, in recognition of his incredible contributions to the field of economics and his perceptive analysis of changes in economic and financial systems.
Announcing this in a tweet on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Sheikh Mohammed stated that economics has always been the foundation for stability and growth and the catalyst for innovative and developmental efforts that benefit both individuals and communities.
He noted that creativity in the field of economics is a driver of intellectual progress, prosperity and international cooperation, with ambitious economic visions serving as the main pillar in driving development, building the future of nations and boosting fruitful cultural and civilisational exchange.
An economist with an undergraduate degree from Queens’ and a DPhil from Oxford, Mohamed El-Erian previously served as chief executive officer and co-chief investment officer of Pimco, Deputy Director at the International Monetary Fund, Chair of President Obama’s Global Development Council and President of Harvard Management Company.
Throughout his career, Dr. El-Erian has been involved with universities and think tanks around the world, including his roles at the University of Pennsylvania as the Rene M. Kern Professor of Practice at the Wharton School of and Senior Global Fellow at the Lauder Institute.
After years of dedicated learning and professional experience, he emerged as an outstanding consultant providing services to prestigious financial institutions such as Allianz and Gramercy Funds Management. Additionally, he has been an active contributor to several non-profit organizations, including the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Dr. Mohamed El-Erian’s impact on the field of economics extends beyond his corporate and institutional work. His written works and research have yielded a wealth of advice, insights, and economic concepts, establishing them as key references in economics, finance, and business. Among his well-known books are ‘When Markets Collide’ (2008), ‘The Only Game in Town’ (2016), and his latest collaborative work, ‘Permacrisis: A Plan to Fix a Fractured World’ co-authored with esteemed economic experts. Furthermore, Dr. Mohamed El-Erian is recognized as a prominent contributor and editor for Financial Times and Bloomberg.
Owing to his intellectual prowess, he has been named one of the ‘Top 100 Global Thinkers’ for four consecutive years by ‘Foreign Policy’ magazine.
In addition to presenting innovative theories on global economic matters, Dr. El-Erian is widely acknowledged as a leading expert in the realm of global capital markets. He is notably credited with introducing the concept of the “new normal”, a term characterising the state of the global economy post the global financial crisis.
source/content: wam.ae (headline edited)
____________
Mohamed A. el Erian, Managing Director, Co-Chief Information, Officer, Pacific IINvestment Management Company, USA, at the Summit on the Global Agenda, 07 November – 09 November 2008. Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org)/Photo by Norbert Schiller / wikipedia.com
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed on Wednesday the heads of delegations participating in a summit of Gulf Cooperation Council and Central Asian countries.
Participants in the Jeddah summit include the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
From the GCC side, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Vice President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid are attending.
Oman and Bahrain’s rulers are being represented by Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al-Said and Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al-Khalifa respectively.
Sheikh Nasser praised the active role played by the Kingdom in enhancing cooperation and coordination among GCC countries and consolidating friendship and joint cooperation with other countries.
Five other coders win $50,000 each in awards presented by Dubai Crown Prince for top apps.
A Syrian coder on Wednesday won $1 million (around Dh3.67 million) in the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ contest during an award ceremony in Dubai facilitated by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of The Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation.
Six software projects developed by Arab youth from around the world competed for the grand prize, thanks to the programming skills they acquired during their participation in the initiative’s courses.
On Wednesday, during the closing ceremony held at the Museum of the Future in Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan presented the awards to winners, with Mahmoud Shahoud, a Syrian coder who lives in Turkey, taking home the $1 million top prize.
Sheikh Hamdan tweeted: “Today, we honoured the winners of the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ Challenge, the UAE’s initiative to nurture the development of technology skills among Arab youth. 1.85 million Arab participants from 80 countries took part in the initiative along with 3,600 certified trainers.”
He added: “The Challenge opens fresh opportunities for Arab youth and offers a new path for them to achieve their dreams… Congratulations.”
Sheikh Hamdan added: “The ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative provided the opportunity for one million Arabs to enter the digital world. It fulfilled the dreams of tens of thousands of Arab programmers from all over the world. Its outcomes and successes will be the basis for many upcoming Arab achievements in the world of technology and coding. One Million Arab Coders’ has paved the way for Arab youth to broaden their horizons and sparked their innovation and creativity in the field of advanced technology.”
He added that the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative, which was launched in 2017 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has succeeded in becoming a gateway for many Arab youth to use their programming skills to realise their dreams and aspirations.
“We look forward to our Arab coders continuing their pioneering innovations and expanding their achievements. We expect their names and future accomplishments to light up the sky worldwide.
“His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision for the region’s future is based on investing in the development of the Arab people. The language of programming is one of the pillars of the knowledge economy and a major bridge to a future in which those who possess scientific excellence will have the upper hand,” Sheikh Hamdan concluded.
Shahoud was adjudged winner for his ‘Habit360’ app that helps users create and maintain good habits, allowing them to achieve long-term goals. Shahoud said half of the prize winning will go towards helping Syrian refugees. The rest will be invested in Dubai as Shahoud plans to shift his base to the emirate and start his own business.
Sahoud is a software engineer from Syria who developed Habit360 that helps people build new habits, track their progress and stay motivated. The application has served more than 200,000 users from around the world.
Beside Shahoud, there were five other winners announced on Wednesday.
About the initiative
The ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative is supervised by the Dubai Future Foundation and organised under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.
The closing ceremony held at Dubai’s Museum of the Future on Wednesday was to honour the best Arab talents in coding, and highlight best coding projects developed by graduates of the initiative to serve their communities and create a better future for humanity.
A total of $1.35 million was given away in prizes during the ceremony.
Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: “The ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum [Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai] , to provide new opportunities for Arab youth, empowering their contributions to the advancement of technologies globally, and to put a clear Arab footprint in the future of humanity.”
Aimed at youth
He said the initiative aimed mainly at empowering Arab youth around the world with the tools of the future, and providing them with the opportunity to gain new experiences and skills that would help them turn their dreams into successful projects that benefit their societies and have a positive impact on their lives.
“The initiative was a glimmer of hope for Arab youth around the globe that success is not bound by place, age, or obstacles. Rather, success requires insistence on acquiring the experiences and skills that will be needed in the future,” Al Gergawi said.
He pointed out that the initiative was a cornerstone for countless success stories where coding helped create a positive impact on the future of humanity, and spread hope in the Arab region.
Al Gergawi stressed the importance of the initiative’s role in encouraging Arab coders to innovate and start developing software projects that not only meet the needs of their societies, but also foresee and adapt to its future requirements and changes, pointing to the initiative’s success in developing a leading global experience to teach coding skills in an effective manner, which was adopted in Jordan and Uzbekistan.
Saeed Mohammad Al Gergawi, Director, Dubai Future Academy, said: “We have 400 million Arabs and that is a lot of talent. Our criteria is that they had to be impactful, ready to be implemented and creative.”
Other winners
In addition to the grand prize for the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ challenge, the five best projects will receive prizes of $50,000 each, and four of the best trainers participating in the initiative will be honoured with prizes of $25,000 each. The finalists were chosen by a specialised jury that comprises many experts in the fields of entrepreneurship and future technologies.
Egyptian–Canadian Andrew Makram won $50,000 for his app called ‘Najeeb’, a platform for exams, tests and quizzes. “It is a cross-platform tool for teachers and educators to create and share paperless quizzes online. What the app does is that it allows students to access the quiz remotely, submit answers and receive the result instantly. Realtime submitted data are available to educators for revision and evaluation purposes,” he said.
Makram added that it took him a month to develop the app and it is in prototype form.
Egyptian entrepreuner Eman Magdy was another winner who has developed an app for the benefit of working women in Egypt. She won a prize for her initiative to ease the burden of working women in Egypt.
“The app is called 3lfraza. It is a platform to support homestay women in Egypt. Basically homestay women help working women to prepare vegetable and meat cuts and meals. Currently 9,000 women are registered from Egypt. We hope more women for all over the world use this to help one another. The app supports small vendors, helping busy mums in their day to day lives,” she said.
Meanwhile Mohamed ElEskandarany developed an app called ‘Muaahal’ to help youth to develop new skills. “It is a platform that aims to qualify Arab youth and prepare them well in the fields of their choice to work in suitable jobs or to start their own business. In addition, helping companies to find qualified employees, and to solve the problem of unemployment and increase the productivity of youth,” he said.
Another winner, Ammar Salim, won in the initiative for his app called Qeraaty Alnateqa which helps in speaking-reading program for the deaf and mute. “It is a speaking program to teach reading and writing to deaf and mute children. With a new sign language system and tool for converting the sign of only two fingers from the fingers of the hand to spoken letters and words,” said Salim.
Last but not the least, Hasan Mohamed won the prize for his ‘Chat translation app’.
“It is a mobile app that provides a textual and vocal chat for people of different languages in different places around the world ,to convert people’s speech in different languages into written texts, translate texts from one language to another, and convert translated texts into spoken speech again,” said Mohamed.
Software expertise
Sheikh Mohammed launched the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ challenge in July 2021 with the aim of recognising and honouring the achievements of Arab talents in the field of programming and creating an opportunity for participants in the initiative to showcase their innovative projects, developed using programming skills and the experience gained during their participation.
The challenge saw a total of 257 projects submitted by the initiative’s graduates from 50 different countries in various sectors related to programming, technology and entrepreneurship in the areas of website and mobile application development. In order to qualify for the final stage and compete for the million-dollar prize, the nominees were selected according to a set of main criteria, including the project idea, the innovation quality, and ease of use.
Jury
The jury for the final round included Fadi Ghandour, Chairman of Wamda Capital; Bashar Kilani, Managing Director of Accenture Middle East; Dr. Abdul Latif Al Shamsi, Director of the Higher Colleges of Technology; and Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East.
Supervised by the Dubai Future Foundation, the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative has seen 1,058,265 people from around the world participate virtually in millions of hours of study and work, as well as tens of thousands of training workshops. Since its launch, 1,500 “Nano Degree” certificates have been awarded to distinguished participants and promising talents. The initiative featured more than 3,600 certified trainers from around the world.
Serving humanity
Led by the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) and organised under the umbrella of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), ‘One Million Arab Coders’ is the largest initiative of its kind in the world. The initiative aims to teach one million young people from the Arab world to code and enable them to launch exceptional projects and programmes that serve Arab societies, drawing on the science and skills gained from their training.
The initiative embodies Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to empower Arab youth with the tools of the future to serve humanity and build a brighter future for the region. The challenge forms part of the UAE’s continuous efforts make a positive impact on the world.
Partnerships
The ‘One Million Arab Coders’ initiative is supported by the Hussein Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation, which focuses on supporting learning opportunities and developing skills to stimulate profitable social and economic participation, and empowering societies in the Arab world to achieve a sustainable future. The Udacity digital learning platform also supported the initiative by offering educational content and training in necessary skills for future jobs. The list of partners of the initiative also included many international technology companies, including Microsoft, Facebook, Oracle, Careem and others.
The initiative also provides the world with a pioneering model for promoting the development of programming skills. It was adopted in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which launched the ‘One Million Jordanian Coders’ initiative in May 2019. The initiative was introduced with the aim of making Jordan a world leader in the field of programming. The ‘One Million Uzbek Coders’ initiative, launched through a partnership between the governments of the UAE and the Republic of Uzbekistan, was announced in November 2019, with the aim of providing Uzbek youth with an opportunity to acquire skills in programming, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, to contribute to the development of innovative technology-based solutions and services.
source/content: gulfnews.com (headline edited)
_____________
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (centre) with the winners / Image Credit: Supplied
Syrian girl, 7, who survived horrors of civil war crowned Arab Reading Challenge champion.
Sham Al Bakour named sixth winner of prestigious title at Dubai Opera House awards ceremony.
A Syrian schoolgirl who survived a deadly missile attack during the civil war in her country has been crowned Arab Reading Challenge champion in Dubai.
Sham Al Bakour, 7, was only six months old when her family’s car was struck during violence in Aleppo in December, 2015.
Her father was killed while she and her mother survived the horrific attack.
She has now completed a remarkable journey from tragedy to triumph to win words of praise from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
In footage released by Dubai Media office, Sheikh Mohammed is seen speaking to Sham as she clutches her winner’s trophy at a ceremony at Dubai Opera House on Thursday.
Her success was met with warm applause by a large audience at the Downtown Dubai culture spot.
“She sustained injuries in the head and at the hospital doctors stitched them,” said Sham’s mother, Manal Matar, 33.
“I have been her support along with my family and her father’s family.
“I noticed she had a passion for memorising texts and Quran verses since she was less than three years old so I supported her.”
A young symbol of hope
She said that Sham has been an inspiration for the children in her family and school.
“Her cousins wait to see what she reads to learn from her.
“Her school mates will certainly be inspired. This challenge will help raise a generation that can rebuild Syria.
“Love of reading must start at a very young age.”
The young literature lover read 70 books to win a competition that attracted 22 million entrants from 44 countries.
When asked about what she would do with the Dh1 million prize money, she said she would give it to her mother.
“We haven’t thought of what to do with the money yet. The focus is on Sham, she is my investment for a better future,” Ms Mattar said.
Sham secured top spot ahead of Adam Al Qasimi from Tunisia in second, and Rashid Al Khateeb from Jordan, in third.
Reading is ‘food for soul and mind’
The young winner said reading offers an opportunity to transport yourself to new places with every turn of a page.
“I’m very happy to win and would like to invite all my friends and all young people to read. Reading is food for soul and mind,” Sham said.
“Reading takes you places, every story introduces you to different people and takes you to a new place.”
The youngster impressed judges with the confidence and clarity with which she expressed her ideas and opinions.
“It was a unanimous decision on Sham, who showed confidence,” said Lailah Al Obaidi, professor in Arabic language and literature at the University of Sharjah, and one of three judges.
“Sham will pave the way for the generation of the future because at this young age, she will be a motivation for more young readers in the Arab world.”
The annual winner is selected based on the pupil’s ability to articulate general knowledge, their critical thinking and communication skills, plus the diversity of books they have selected.
The Arab Reading Challenge was launched by Sheikh Mohammed in 2015 to encourage a million young people to read at least 50 books in a year.
Helping to shape young minds
Noor Aljbour, from Jordan, won Dh300,000, along with the title of Outstanding Supervisor, in recognition of her work guiding and motivating pupils through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The obstacles and the amount of work to prepare for this edition of the reading challenge were huge because its the first to happen after Covid-19,” Ms Aljbour said.
“Pupils returned to schools lacking the passion for reading, this meant that we needed to encourage pupils not only to read but to also pick up on their studies.”
Morocco’s Mukhtar Jasoulet school won the Dh1 million Best School award.
In the category for Arab pupils living in foreign countries, Nada Al Satri from Belgium was named the champion.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, with the six finalists at the Arabic Reading competition at Dubai Opera. Left to right, Mohammed Jamil (Bahrain), Rashid Al Khateeb (Jordan), Sham Bakour (Syria), Adam al Qasimi (Tunisia), Ghala Al Enzi (Kuwait) and Areej Al Qarni (Saudi Arabia). All photos: Ruel Pableo for The National
‘Our goal is to leverage Dubai as the first economy capital in the world’: Mohammed bin Rashid tells Board of Directors of Dubai Chambers
‘Economy has priority in the next stage, and we must mobilise all our creative minds and our exceptional efforts to catapult Dubai’s economy to new heights,” said His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, during a meeting on Tuesday with the Board of Directors of Dubai Chambers after the major restructuring where His Highness formed three entities – Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy and Dubai Chamber of International Trade.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed recently approved the new Board of Directors of Dubai Chambers as part of efforts to enhance their contributions to Dubai’s economy, raise the level of support provided to emerging business sectors and accelerate Dubai’s innovation journey. The move is also part of efforts to catalyse Dubai’s economic transformation and further reinforce the city’s rise as a global business hub.
”Establishing a solid and prosperous economy is at the center of our priorities,” His Highness added.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has launched ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign to provide food parcels for families and people in need across 20 countries during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Launched as an expansion from last year’s locally-held ’10 Million Meals’ campaign that empowered COVID-19-hit communities across the UAE, the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign will provide food support for the vulnerable in the Middle East, Africa and Asia
The campaign is part of UAE’s response to global efforts to combat world hunger, a major challenge that has been exacerbated by outbreak of COVID-19 that has pushed millions of disadvantaged populations to greater insecurity, poverty and unemployment. The campaign also aims to support the international community in achieving the second of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to end hunger by 2030.
The MBRGI will carry out the campaign in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme, the Food Banking Regional Network, humanitarian and charity organizations in beneficiary countries, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH), and UAE federal and local entities.
A woman has made history in the United Arab Emirates as the country’s first female astronaut.
Noura Al-Matrooshi is one of two new astronauts in the UAE’s Mohammed Bin Rashid (MBR) Space Centre astronaut program, UAE vice president and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced on Twitter .
She was chosen with Mohammed Al-Mulla, two of over 4,000 candidates who applied to the program, Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai, said.
In 2019, Maj. Hazzaa al-Mansoori became the UAE’s first astronaut in space, spending an eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station.
