If modern history has taught us anything about eradicating a debilitating virus, it is that working together gives organisations and countries the strength and resources to tackle seemingly insurmountable challenges.
In 1988, a partnership of governments, institutions and other stakeholders, called the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, was launched with the goal to eradicate polio. In the 32 years since, great strides have been made to contain this highly infectious disease for which there is no cure and that paralyses children under 5 years of age.
Today, children across the world have benefited from countries and philanthropic organisations working together towards this collective goal.
The UAE has been at the forefront of these efforts to see the eradication of the disease. Despite challenges posed by Covid-19, in Pakistan this year, 12 million children received polio vaccinations in a campaign led by the UAE, which was the first country to resume its vaccination programme during the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, as Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said on Saturday: "Never has the world been closer to eradicating polio. Today, wild polio can only be found in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, who since 2011 has pledged more than $250m to support efforts to eradicate polio, thanked frontline heroes "who continue to serve their communities, despite the challenges of Covid-19". Between July and September this year, 28 million vaccine doses were delivered and over 16m children were reached by the Emirates Polio Campaign.
To this end, more than $2.6 billion was raised last year when Sheikh Mohamed hosted the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in Abu Dhabi. But while polio cases dropped by more than 99 per cent since 1988 – from an estimated 350,000 cases to 22 reported cases in 2017 – work still remains to ensure that no child anywhere suffers from a disease that can be prevented by repeat doses of immunisation drops.
Through the efforts to end polio, we have seen how global collaborations in the field of medicine, disease surveillance and capacity-building of immunisation programmes are crucial for citizens in not just a handful of countries, but across the world.
This year more than any other, these collaborative efforts to eradicate polio – and previously smallpox, an infectious disease that once claimed 1m lives a year – have lent an invaluable framework on how to unite to find a vaccine for Covid-19.
There is no doubt that global partnerships strengthen systems. They build trust and widen a network of stakeholders – all factors that play a critical role in inching closer to eradicating diseases or finding a vaccine – as in the case of the prevailing pandemic.
In January 2011, a huge milestone was met when polio was eradicated in a country as large and populous as India. And as recently as August 25, Nigeria was declared polio free. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed it as 'one of the greatest achievements in public health history'. This was all the more remarkable because Nigeria accounted for more than half of all global polio cases just eight years ago.
As Bill Gates wrote in a piece published by The National: "Every child deserves a chance to have a productive life, no matter where they are born."
As World Polio Day is marked, countries must not drop the ball on the progress that has been made to end this scourge. World leaders must resolve to see the eradication through so that no child's future is marred for want of vaccination and the next generation can live healthy, dignified lives – polio free.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Read more from Kareem Shaheen
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
The years Ramadan fell in May
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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
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
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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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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets