The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a massive shock to the global economy, triggering the worst recession since the Great Depression according to the International Monetary Fund. It has been the deadliest pandemic since 1918, more so than diseases such as swine flu, Ebola and Sars. Covid-19 spread at an alarming speed across the world, leaving governments and businesses worrying about the length of time before a recovery and what one might look like. In the absence of medical treatments and vaccines, a time when then the world could put the virus behind it seemed far off. This uncertainty was hugely alarming for governments, the private sector and society.
Over two million people have been inoculated in the UAE
While many countries across the world still suffer from the impact of the pandemic, the UAE is lucky be witnessing a rapid rebound. Most tourist attractions, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and leisure centres in the country have fully re-opened and the country is seeing a surge in visitors from abroad. Moreover, mosques, churches and temples have opened their doors for worshippers, while businesses have begun to witness a return to normalcy. Therefore, the country's economic recovery should be faster than in other nations, not just in the Arab world but globally. With this in mind, UAE citizens and residents witnessed how a country with strong leadership and determination can respond to such a pandemic in a responsible and safe manner. The nation has set the bar high in terms of crisis preparedness and recovery.
The Chinese city of Wuhan, where the first cases of Covid-19 were reported, has celebrated the one-year anniversary since its lockdown started. EPA
Starting in December 2020, the country's health authorities launched a nationwide vaccination campaign, and over two million people have been inoculated since the initiative began. This number places the UAE with the second highest number of vaccines delivered for every 100 people globally.
Citizens and residents alike have also aided recovery by at all times adhering to health and safety measures laid out by the authorities. These include mask wearing and maintaining social distancing. We cannot forget the role of frontline heroes, ranging from healthcare personnel, civil security officers, teachers and humanitarian workers who have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the UAE community during these challenging times. The level of commitment we have witnessed from more than nine million people living and working in the country from 200 nationalities is a true reflection of what can be achieved through collaboration.
In the UAE, we have learned that preparedness is critical. One of the best examples of how a government can immediately contain a crisis is how it ensures the continuity of education. In 2012, long before Covid-19, the nation had developed solid infrastructure for online learning platforms in order to deliver distance learning and education. With the onset of the pandemic and the vision of the country's leadership, educational institutions across the UAE were able to seamlessly shift to these online platforms with relatively few disruptions to learning.
Effective governance is the main reason the country has succeeded in confronting Covid-19, as well as quickly recovering from its effects. I commend the nation's wise leadership for proactively implementing bold measures that have enabled the country to respond rapidly to the pandemic and minimise its impact on the business community and individuals alike.
I had the chance to visit Al Ain with my family during the National Day Holiday break in early December 2020. My last visit to this heritage city was more than 15 years ago, so I was astonished by how much it had changed since. Despite being the second largest city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the fourth largest city in the UAE, Al Ain offers a real cultural taste of the country. Visitors witness a city that has been transformed into a modern and vibrant metropolis, but which has still preserved its traditional identity by converting many ancient sites to museums. The social values, culture and traditions of the Emirati way of life have also been preserved in this modern mix. I had the opportunity to interact both with citizens and residents and I was impressed to see how committed they were to safety procedures. There is no doubt that education made us and all residents, wherever they were in the country, disciplined and aware of how to respond to the pandemic on a personal level.
Sporting events such as UFC Fight Island have been able to take place in the UAE. Getty Images
As we mark today the International Day of Education, it is essential to remember that learning is one of the key pillars of sustainable development. Realising this has never been as important as it is now. With this in mind, Dubai Cares hosted RewirEdX virtual conference between 15-16 December last year to engage education leaders and practitioners in action-oriented dialogue, in order to re-think and re-imagine attitudes towards education and the new reality that follows a post-Covid-19 world. The virtual conference also served as a one-year countdown to the global education-focused RewirEd Summit, which will be held in-person between 12-14 December 2021 during the Knowledge & Learning week of Expo Dubai 2020. The summit, which is a collaboration between Dubai Cares and Expo 2020 Dubai, in close coordination with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will bring together the most prominent voices in education from around the world to discuss how to collectively tackle the challenges facing the world of teaching and learning by exploring entirely new approaches, as well as offering participants a unique opportunity to agree on a shared vision and concrete action. In a nutshell, we hope the discussions and the action points at RewirEd Summit will be the kickstart for a 10-year countdown to reshape education by 2030, a year when all the Sustainable Development Goals will be reviewed for their accomplishment and renewed for future development.
As we celebrate the beginning of a new year and move a step closer towards the UAE’s Golden Jubilee, I feel optimistic that Expo 2020 Dubai will demonstrate an exceptional presentation of the nation's journey and an opportunity to reflect on its 50 years of success, side by side with the achievements of more than 190 international participating nations. These successes would not have happened without education being the main investment by these nations. I’m confident that Expo 2020 will give people renewed hope that through collaboration it is possible to make a lasting change to humanity, even during difficult times.
Dr Tariq Al Gurg is Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares and a member of its board of directors
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
Date started: January 2017 Founder: Khaled Zaatarah Based: Dubai and Los Angeles Sector: Technology Size: 21 employees Funding: $7 million Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
MATCH INFO
Iceland 0 England 1 (Sterling pen 90 1)
Man of the match Kari Arnason (Iceland)
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 3
Sadio Man 28'
Andrew Robertson 34'
Diogo Jota 88'
Arsenal 1
Lacazette 25'
Man of the match
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
