Saudi Arabia’s candidate for the top job at the World Trade Organisation stands out from the other contenders through his more managerial approach to the role.
Mohammad Al Tuwaijri, the former minister of economy and planning and a former air force pilot, believes that there are lessons to be learnt from Saudi Vision 2030.
The framework, which he helped produce in 2016, intends to reduce the kingdom’s economic dependence on oil and develop public service sectors in fields such as health care, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism by 2030.
“This is the fifth year and I am proud to see this transformation taking place in a very difficult region. The core concepts are economic diversification, empowering the private sector [and having more] women in power,” he said.
Mr Al Tuwaijri sees the management and leadership aspects of the WTO as similar in nature to the kingdom’s transformation.
He is one of eight candidates who appeared before the WTO’s General Council – the decision-making body composed of envoys from the 164 member countries – to pitch their suitability for director general this week.
This year’s shortlist also includes three women and three African candidates, as well as a Brexiteer.
The other candidates are Nigerian's former foreign and finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Egyptian former diplomat Hamid Mamdouh; and Kenya's former WTO general council chairwoman Amina Mohamed. South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee is also in the running.
From Europe, Britain’s first post-Brexit international trade secretary, Liam Fox and former Moldovan foreign minister Tudor Ulianovschi are pitching for the role at the multilateral body.
A decision on the candidates will be made by the general council by August 31, when the incumbent, Roberto Azevedo of Brazil, steps down.
Formidable challenges
The new WTO leadership faces challenges such as growing trade tensions, greater protectionism and trade uncertainty concerning the coronavirus pandemic.
US President Donald Trump has been critical of the WTO since taking office, arguing it has been too soft on China.
Adding to this, the WTO’s Appellate Body, the court which provides the final decision in any trade dispute, has not been active since December 2019 and lacks an adequate number of judges to produce rulings and take on new cases.
An interim appeal court has been set up by some WTO members, including the EU and China, but India and the US have not joined.
Mr Al Tuwaijri acknowledges the challenges of bringing the US back on board and, more strongly, defining China’s trade relationship with the world. Under its G20 presidency this year, Saudi Arabia has been working on developments into WTO reforms.
“It's very important that we resolve the brand issue, the reputation issue, the process issue, but also we have the political will behind the reforms – it's a must,” Mr Al Tuwaijri said.
He said that many of the problems of the WTO were related to management and leadership but acknowledged that there were also political problems.
“Why would countries go into disputes? Because the negotiation process did not work. So how do we improve the negotiation process? This is a management problem; it is a leadership problem.”
Mr Al Tuwaijri intends to understand the causes of the organisation straying from its mission and what can be done to address them.
He wants all the members to be collectively aware of the root causes and to have “key performance indicators to make sure the organisation doesn’t drift again”.
Many believe that it is now Africa’s turn to lead the global referee of international trade, given that no one from the continent has held the post.
Egyptian commercial law academic Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh has a somewhat different background to the other seven contenders for the role.
He said the main challenge facing the body was a “fading sense of common purpose” and he vowed to “immediately revive the negotiating function of the organisation”.
Mr Mamdouh also urged Beijing and Washington to seek to resolve their trade disputes within the WTO.
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MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
The five pillars of Islam
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Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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South Korea
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More coverage from the Future Forum
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
Sheffield United 0
Company%20profile
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Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
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