NEW YORK // The Arab League chief, Amr Moussa, has joined a chorus of influential decision-makers to back Abu Dhabi's campaign to be host to the headquarters of a global green-energy body.
The secretary-general said putting the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) in the UAE capital would represent a historic achievement.
"It would be the first time a global agency would have its headquarters in the Arab world - and there has to be a first time," Mr Moussa told The National. "This organisation should be established and located in Abu Dhabi. The Emirates is quite capable of giving all kinds of support to such a centre."
Abu Dhabi is vying for Irena in a four-way contest with the European cities of Vienna, Copenhagen and Bonn, with members scheduled to vote in Egypt next month.
Once established, Irena will compile data and encourage the use of wind, solar and wave power instead of fossil fuels and atomic energy.
Officials have campaigned hard to win support and build a home for Irena on the fringes of the capital, in Masdar City, saying more global agencies should have their headquarters outside the West.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, said the Government had presented a "strong argument" that locating Irena in Abu Dhabi would send a positive message to the developing world.
But the campaign probably will be hampered by a relatively poor record on renewable energy and carbon dioxide emissions. According to the World Bank's Little Green Data Book, the average UAE resident produces 30.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide - significantly more than the citizens of Denmark (8.5), Austria (8.9) and Germany (9.5).
The UAE Ambassador to the UN, Ahmed al Jarman, previously told delegates to a UN conference that putting Irena in Abu Dhabi would "have a positive effect on developing and Arab countries".
Rapidly industrialising nations are contributing more to greenhouse gas emissions and are widely seen as key actors in global efforts to combat climate change.
Reem Ibrahim al Hashimi, a Minister of State, recently outlined Abu Dhabi's case to members of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Foreign Minister, has been canvassing support for the Emirates' bid.
This month, Mohammad al Tuwaijri, the Arab League's assistant secretary-general for economic affairs, reiterated the 22-nation group's support for Abu Dhabi's campaign.
jreinl@thenational.ae
Only a handful of international agencies have headquarters outside a major western city., including the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi.
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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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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'The Sky is Everywhere'
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Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
