From women’s empowerment to climate diplomacy, the UAE's rising global stature shows that when political will, investment in education and the commitment of the leadership combine, it can lead to real change.
That's the opinion of Berangere Boell, representative of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UN resident co-ordinator in the UAE.
Through Ms Boell, the UN is working closely with the nation to extend its progress beyond borders.
She spoke to The National about how the Emirates has positioned itself as a driver of global change, including through its 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and Vision 2045.
Ms Boell works closely with the UAE government and private sector to align UN initiatives with national priorities, support sustainable development and exchange expertise to achieve common goals.
'Parity is not aspirational, it’s policy'
After recently celebrating Emirati Women’s Day, the UAE continues to earn recognition for its progress on gender equality – ranking first regionally and seventh globally last year.
“The UAE’s ranking is not just a national milestone – it’s a signal to the entire region that meaningful progress is possible,” Ms Boell said. “It leads the Arab region on the Gender Inequality Index and stands among the world’s top performers globally.”
Educational advances have driven this transformation. Female secondary school enrolment rose from 44 per cent in 1990 to 83 per cent in 2023. Maternal mortality has dropped to just nine deaths per 100,000 births – far below the global average of 216, according to UN figures. Women’s labour force participation also grew from 31 per cent in 1995 to more than 54 per cent today.
The UAE is living proof that when political will, education investment and leadership commitment come together, they can lead to real change
Berangere Boell,
representative of the UN Secretary General in the UAE
To sustain momentum, the UN is helping the UAE showcase its blend of tradition, innovation and learning to benefit women around the region and the world.
“This model of inclusion is central to the UN80 reform agenda,” Ms Boell said. “It is a global push towards evidence, partnerships and inclusive change.”
One of the clearest markers of change is in political representation – putting women in decision-making roles. Back in 2018, the late President Sheikh Khalifa ordered half of Federal National Council seats to be taken by women.
“This was transformative,” said Ms Boell. “It shows that gender parity in politics is not aspirational – it’s a deliberate choice.”
Women now account for 70 per cent of Emiratis in the private sector workforce, 56 per cent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates in public universities, and are in 45 per cent of roles in the national space sector. They also hold 11.5 per cent of ambassadorial posts, which is the highest in the GCC but is still an area for growth, Ms Boell noted.
“This kind of representation matters because it normalises women’s participation in public life and brings gender-sensitive perspectives to policymaking, whether in education, health care or social inclusion,” she said.
Humanitarian leadership
The UAE is among the world’s largest humanitarian donors, ranking ninth globally in 2024, according to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Its aid last year featured relief for Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon and other vulnerable nations, delivered both bilaterally and through the UN.
“Dubai is the largest humanitarian hub in the world,” Ms Boell said. “It holds the biggest UN depot managed by WFP [the World Food Programme], providing services for 100 entities to distribute life-saving support from the UAE to the world.”
Agencies like the WFP, the UN children's fund and the UN refugee agency partner closely with the UAE to ensure aid is guided by local needs and rigorous monitoring.
“When UAE aid flows through the UN, it gains an additional layer of accountability and global co-ordination,” she said.
Ms Boell’s experience working with UNRWA in Gaza and Jerusalem for eight years from 2005 continues to shape her leadership.
“What I learnt are three guiding stars: people and their dignity are at the heart of all actions; everything must be grounded in humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality; and finally, diplomacy with empathy,” she said.
The UN General Assembly is set to vote on renewing UNRWA's mandate at the end of this year in the face of funding cuts by the US and a ban by Israel.
“To dismantle UNRWA is to condemn an entire generation of children to despair,” Ms Boell said, echoing Mr Guterres. “UNRWA is indispensable. No other organisation has the infrastructure, schools or clinics to replace it.”
The suffering in Gaza, she said, was “deeply distressing for the entire UN family to witness”. While the UAE remains a strong advocate for Palestinian refugees, she called on all partners to ensure sustained support for UNRWA, which she described as the only agency capable of delivering services at scale and with impartiality.
Major agencies like the UN Development Programme, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and Unicef are based in the UAE, making the country a centre for regional innovation and diplomacy.
“The UAE is not just hosting the multilateral system – it’s helping shape its future,” Ms Boell said.
Development goals for 2045
In July, the UAE unveiled its Extended Development Goals for 2045, a long-term vision well beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
“The presentation of the XDGs 2045 is a remarkable endeavour and shows it’s a nation of foresight,” Ms Boell said.
By presenting the plan at the UN’s High-Level Political Forum, the UAE placed it at the heart of multilateral dialogue. Initiatives like Voices for 2045 – a global youth dialogue – underscore the emphasis on inclusion.
“The XDGs are the UAE’s contribution to what comes next and an invitation for the world to start imagining the future,” Ms Boell said. “They align with the UN80 reforms, calling for foresight, inclusivity and strong partnerships.”
The UAE Consensus
The Cop28 climate summit in Dubai in 2023 made history as the first to agree to a global transition away from fossil fuels.
“The story of Cop28 is fascinating,” Ms Boell said. “The UAE Consensus created a turning point in global diplomacy and a landmark in climate diplomacy. It laid out two global targets: tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.”
Clean energy investment reached $2 trillion globally last year, outpacing fossil fuels by $800 billion. With 22 per cent to 26 per cent of the world’s solar potential, according to the World Bank, the Middle East holds a strategic opportunity, though 95 per cent of its electricity still comes from fossil fuels.
“The UAE is moving decisively,” she added, pointing to its updated Energy Strategy 2050, landmark climate law and the Barakah nuclear plant, which now supplies a quarter of the nation’s electricity. “Now, the region must deliver.”
Partnerships on human rights
The UN’s partnership with the UAE is rooted in the belief that development and human rights are inseparable.
“We support institutions to strengthen legal frameworks and align national priorities with international human rights standards,” Ms Boell said.
A significant development for the Emirates was the establishment of the independent National Human Rights Institution in 2021.
The UAE’s latest Universal Periodic Review reflected this commitment, accepting 198 recommendations covering areas including women’s rights and judicial reform.
Youth engagement has also been at the forefront of the UAE’s vision and policy.
Those aged 15–24 make up 10–13 per cent of the UAE’s population, many of them non-Emiratis.
“Emirati youth are at the centre of Vision 2071 and the National Youth Strategy,” Ms Boell said. “But it’s not just about nationals. The UAE is a hub where young people from around the world are driving progress together.”
Civil society groups amplify community voices and monitor progress on SDGs, while the UAE’s strength in AI and technology gives young people opportunities to lead on the global stage.
‘Bring your folding chair’
Ms Boell also reflected on women’s resilience in the face of continued challenges and ways to overcome them, drawing on her personal experience.
“You need something that pushes you through,” she said. “As women, we still face hurdles because of gender inequality, especially in male-dominated professions. Our passion is what builds resilience and we must not shy away whenever told we are not respecting the norm, because our contribution is what matters.”
Quoting Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to the US Congress, she said: “If you don’t have a seat at the table, just bring your folding chair.
“If I had waited to be given space and authorisation to contribute, I wouldn’t be where I am today. We don’t have to imitate male patterns. Our emotional intelligence is a strength that benefits the whole community.”
On women's role in negotiations to end wars, Ms Boell said: “There is only lasting peace when women are an integral part of the solution.”
Match info
Uefa Nations League A Group 4
England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')
Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)
Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
MANDOOB
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Brief scores
Day 1
Toss England, chose to bat
England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
2024%20Dubai%20Marathon%20Results
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2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
THREE
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
