The head of Unicef has warned that ongoing conflict in the Middle East risks creating a “lost generation”.
Henrietta Fore urged the world to “stand up” for young people in war-torn parts of the region.
Speaking to The National at the World Government Summit in Dubai, she said there was an urgent need for better education programmes in Syria to teach children how to spot unexploded weapons.
Young people in the country, around half of whom have never lived through anything other than war, were being attracted to the “prettily-coloured” devices and losing limbs when they touched them, she said.
The 70-year-old, who between 2007 and 2009 was in charge of administering almost $40 billion of American overseas aid per year and took over as Unicef executive director in January last year, visited both Yemen and Syria in 2018.
“Sometimes you think you’ve seen everything,” she said, reflecting on the personal impact the trips had on her. “But you see a child in front of you... We had one visit in to a hospital in which there was a mother who was racing in and she had a very ill child because of poor water and not enough food.
“And they’re so thin and so frail and you could just see with tears coming down her face that she was so worried that her child would die. You cannot but want to gather this child, bring food, do something to help. The child died in her arms and it just breaks your heart.
“When we were in the hospital we went into the incubator ward, these are the babies that have been born prematurely or need help just after they have been born. The lights went out, they lost all electricity. It meant that all the oxygen went out. And here are all these babies that are just struggling for breath. I mean, as a world it is inhumane if we don’t look at this.”
The incidents took place in Yemen.
Peace negotiations to end the conflict through the Stockholm Agreement have achieved some success, but there is still “too much violence,” she said.
There have been repeated breaches of the ceasefire by Houthi rebel factions since the deal was forged in December.
Earlier this week, Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on social media that it was vital that "the international community support the agreement".
He added that the rebel group is "threatening the overall prospects for peace" through its persistent disregard for the deal.
“To everyone we say, we need peace,” Ms Fore added. "It’s what children need. Children are always the most fragile and are often the first victims in a war and in violence. We as a world have often forgotten that we need to look after children. They are our future. We who are older, and adults, need to help.”
At the summit, Unicef is promoting a new $3.9 billion humanitarian appeal, with the cash to be spent across 49 countries. Ms Fore took part in a panel discussion in which she spoke about Unicef’s "Generation Unlimited" campaign, which aims to ensure every child has access to a quality education by 2030.
Ms Fore also addressed the sexual exploitation and abuse scandal that engulfed the charity sector last year - Oxfam was hit with a major controversy after it was accused of covering up claims that its aid workers had sexually exploited female victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
We believe strongly in zero tolerance of any sort of sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment
Unicef also came under scrutiny, after James Forsyth, a deputy director at the charity, resigned over claims of inappropriate behaviour towards women in a previous job.
Unicef has also admitted failings in its efforts to keep children safe in the Central African Republic in 2013 and 2014.
An independent review in 2015 found that UN agencies’ response to allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeeping troops in the country was “seriously flawed” and “the welfare of the victims and the accountability of the perpetrators appeared to be an afterthought, if considered at all”.
Ms Fore issued a statement last year about sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
In it, she admitted to “failures in cultures and processes” at Unicef, adding that “this problem has lingered for too long”.
Among the new measures put in place are improved processes for staff to report any concerns, more strenuous vetting and commissioning external groups to scrutinise the organisation.
“We believe strongly in zero tolerance of any sort of sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment,” she said. “The trends [of reports of concerns] are going up. People are now feeling the trust that they can speak up and something will be done about it.
“Whenever we have an allegation that comes into us, within 24 hours I know something is happening. We also have anonymous mechanisms so that we can tell when an office has something to look into. We have many mechanisms at work so people can speak up confidentially, in public, in their offices, so we can do something about it.”
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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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Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
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
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'Cheb%20Khaled'
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THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
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