NEW YORK // Arab countries have been some of the world's most successful at raising living standards for their people over the past 40 years, according to a UN report.
Five Arab states ranked among the "top 10 movers" globally in this week's Human Development Report, an annual study from the UN Development Programme that scores countries on health, education and wealth.
Oman was the world leader in gains made since 1970, with better schools and hospitals enabling the Gulf state to outpace even China, which was ranked second. Saudi Arabia (5th), Tunisia (7th), Algeria (9th) and Morocco (10th) also scored high among the 135 countries for which there was comparable data.
Norway (1st), Australia (2nd) and New Zealand (3rd) topped the overall scoreboard and Niger (167th), Democratic Republic of Congo (168th) and Zimbabwe (169th) placed at the bottom, as western countries again led the list while sub-Saharan African nations trailed.
The UAE ranked as the best Arab country to live in, coming 32nd globally. The Emirates fared better than last year, when it came 35th and ranked below Qatar and Kuwait, although researchers said it was difficult to compare scores from different years because the statistics were collected differently.
The progress in Arab nations "is not attributable to oil and gas earnings, as might be assumed", said Jeni Klugman, the main author of the 227-page report. "The high-achieving Arab countries can attribute their success largely to impressive long-term improvements in health and education."
Across 21 Arab states and the Palestinian territories, life expectancy has risen from 51 years in 1970 to 69 years in 2010 and education enrolment has almost doubled from 34 per cent to 64 per cent. Gains were achieved against a backdrop of military activity that was almost three times higher than in other regions, the report said. Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and the Palestinian territories suffered most from instability.
Researchers warned that the Arab region lagged behind on some key indicators, such as labour relations, women's rights, democratic reforms, public empowerment, income equality and the accountability of officials.
The annual report ranks countries according to a Human Development Index, a measure of wellbeing published by the UN for 20 years. It combines individual economic prosperity with education levels and life expectancy.
jreinl@thenational.ae
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
KYLIAN MBAPPE 2016/17 STATS
Ligue 1: Appearances - 29, Goals - 15, Assists - 8
UCL: Appearances - 9, Goals - 6
French Cup: Appearances - 3, Goals - 3
France U19: Appearances - 5, Goals - 5, Assists - 1
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
