Conflict, natural disaster, displacement, hunger, disease – these are just a few of the complex realities lived by millions of people around the world and confronted by the tireless work of humanitarians.
Last week, on the anniversary of an attack on the UN compound in Baghdad in 2003, the international community came together to celebrate this work during World Humanitarian Day.
The attack claimed the lives of 22 people, and marking its anniversary every year is a way of honouring those who give themselves in the service of others, and to commemorate humanitarians killed or injured in the line of duty.
The compound attack was neither the first nor the last time humanitarians, including colleagues and friends of my own, lost their lives delivering aid. In the 17 years that have passed since, nearly 5,000 aid workers have been killed, wounded or abducted around the world.
The events of 2020 provide new significance to the notion of self-sacrifice and bring humanitarianism into sharp perspective. The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the entire world and placed us all at the epicentre of a global emergency. Overwhelmed healthcare systems, mandated lockdowns, grounded planes and crushed economies have forced us all to change the way we live and work. Speaking in April, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Covid-19 "the greatest test" the world has faced since the Second World war.
For the aid sector, Guterres’s statement has special meaning. The UN, after all, was formed in the Second World War's aftermath to promote a universally shared vision of a safe, just, prosperous and sustainable world. And now, just as then, aid agencies face extraordinary challenges as they work to operationalise this vision on the ground.
Amid this astonishing public health crisis, unprecedented needs, disruption to supply chains, travel and movement, mounting insecurity and shrinking funding, aid workers are staying and delivering to the world’s most vulnerable people at great personal sacrifice.
But the pandemic experience has been unique in another way. For many, 2020 will forever be marked by an overwhelming demonstration of the spirit of humanitarianism in everyone, not just those employed in the sector, and for veteran aid workers like myself that is a moving reminder of the real power of humanity.
And so, this year I urge everyone to honour the everyday humanitarians among us: those who have gone to extraordinary lengths in these extraordinary times to help others whose lives have been upended by Covid-19. These are the frontline health workers and emergency services staff who continue to withstand enormous physical and emotional hardship, choosing the wellbeing of their patients over their own safety and comfort. They also include the community volunteers and generous neighbours caring for the sick, the poor and the elderly, and the delivery drivers, cleaners and grocery store staff working around the clock to keep essential services running.
We have asked great things of them, and they have put themselves at great risk to keep us safe and cared for. Most were neither trained nor prepared for the roles they assumed, but they assumed them nonetheless and of that I stand in gratitude and admiration.
In some ways, a global pandemic renders us all first responders. The frontline of this crisis rages all around us, and this is a time for heroism, kindness, courage and a commitment to the common good.
And as people all over the world have rallied together in compassion and in unity to “flatten the curve,” changing their behaviour to protect others, I cannot help but reflect optimistically on the possibilities of everyday humanitarianism and wonder what it might mean for the future of aid.
The everyday humanitarians among us have gone to extraordinary lengths in these extraordinary times to help others whose lives have been upended by Covid-19
It has recently been argued that the "Dunantist" approach to humanitarianism, in which aid is driven by considerations of moral duty, is dying out. But I think what we have witnessed in 2020 demonstrates otherwise. It lifts the curtain on just how deep the instinct to do good runs within individuals and societies. It also demonstrates the power of self-organised and people-centred humanitarianism.
The outpouring of solidarity and explosion of volunteerism are reminders to the formal aid sector of who humanitarians are and what they must not lose as their industry continues to professionalise. Localised humanitarianism has taken on new significance, promising a wave of “new humanitarians” who might play an increasingly important role in solving the world’s problems.
It also suggests a greater diversity of players and solutions for the benefit of the aid agenda. Now is the time for the aid system to leverage local networks and people power, as communities define their own priorities and responses.
Throughout history, crises have been moments of change. Let us seize this one. Like the 2003 Baghdad bombing for the aid community, Covid-19 will not be humanity’s last global emergency. The threat of future pandemics and the effects of a changing climate loom. And the scale of needs is already such that the aid industry, in its current form, will never be enough. We need the everyday humanitarians. We need you.
Mageed Yahia is the Director of the United Nations World Food Programme Office in UAE and regional representative of the WFP in GCC
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
RESULT
Norway 1 Spain 1
Norway: King (90 4')
Spain: Niguez (47')
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
Liverpool
Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ENGLAND%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EFor%20Euro%202024%20qualifers%20away%20to%20Malta%20on%20June%2016%20and%20at%20home%20to%20North%20Macedonia%20on%20June%2019%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EGoalkeepers%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Johnstone%2C%20Pickford%2C%20Ramsdale.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDefenders%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alexander-Arnold%2C%20Dunk%2C%20Guehi%2C%20Maguire%2C%20%20Mings%2C%20Shaw%2C%20Stones%2C%20Trippier%2C%20Walker.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMidfielders%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bellingham%2C%20Eze%2C%20Gallagher%2C%20Henderson%2C%20%20Maddison%2C%20Phillips%2C%20Rice.%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EForwards%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFoden%2C%20Grealish%2C%20Kane%2C%20Rashford%2C%20Saka%2C%20Wilson.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
How Sputnik V works
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
AT%20A%20GLANCE
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The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
More from Aya Iskandarani
THE SPECS
Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
Zombieland: Double Tap
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Four out of five stars
MEDIEVIL%20(1998)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SCE%20Studio%20Cambridge%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%2C%20PlayStation%204%20and%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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More coverage from the Future Forum
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
Rating: 3/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
