The UAE's humanitarian assistance to Yemen crossed US$4 billion (Dh14.79bn) mark this month, of which $1.24bn was given this year alone.
The figures were released by the UAE government on Friday ahead of this week's United Nations General Assembly in New York, where the conflict in Yemen is expected to be a key topic.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled Al Yamani and GCC Secretary General Dr Abdullatif Al Zayani launched the discussions on Saturday at a conference on the "Challenges of Political Solution, Humanitarian Action, Restoring Stability and Reconstruction".
The meeting was organised by the GCC Secretariat and Yemen government and was attended by representatives from the 19 countries sponsoring the political process, the Saudi Press Agency said, as well as by humanitarian and development organisations.
The UAE's aid to Yemen was directed towards meeting the needs of more than 16.7 million Yemenis affected by the civil war since April 2015, including 10.1 million children and 3.4 million women, state news agency Wam reported.
About $465 million of the aid allocated so far this year went towards the United Nations Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, Wam said.
The figures show that the Government ramped up its aid allocation for the province of Hodeidah since June, when Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led military coalition that includes the UAE launched an offensive to retake Hodeidah city and its port from the Houthi rebels.
From June 20 to September 20, the total UAE aid to the province on the Red Sea coast was Dh312m. This included the distribution of more than 60,000 food baskets in 45 districts that benefited about half a million residents. A number of bakeries were set up to provide free bread, including four in Khokha - one of the first districts of Hodeidah to be recaptured from the rebels.
The UAE also built 23 water stations and reservoirs to improve water supply in the province, and restored hospitals in Khokha, Durayhimi and Tuhayta districts besides setting up mobile clinics. Fishing ports were rebuilt, and 14 schools on the coast were given school supplies and solar power. The electricity supply in the port town of Mokha was also restored with generators and new power lines, Wam said.
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Read more:
Yemen's Houthi rebels cut off food supplies for Hodeidah residents
Houthis bar civilians from Hodeidah hospitals to keep beds for fighters
Arab Coalition airstrikes resume on Hodeidah after peace talk failure
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Sector-wise, the bulk of the UAE's aid, slightly over Dh6.3bn, was allocated to general programmes. The Government supported the public budget, especially the payment of salaries of government employees working in health, education and security to ensure they continued to provide services.
Commodity assistance amounted to Dh3.8bn, Wam said.
The power generation and supply sector received Dh1.72 billion. This included the costs of power generation and distribution, rebuilding and maintaining power stations, and providing fuel for power plants and generators to ensure supply to hospitals, schools and public buildings.
A total of Dh845mn was allocated to the health sector, helping to reduce the shortage of health services, medicines and medical supplies by rebuilding, equipping and maintaining hospitals and clinics in liberated provinces.
The UAE provided Dh599.4m to support the government and judiciary sectors, Dh575m for transport and storage, and Dh517.3m for social services.
The education sector received Dh146.9m, while the construction and civil development sector received Dh120m and Dh125m went towards providing water supply and sanitation, including access to clean drinking water.
The telecommunications sector received Dh20m, while Dh5m was allocated to improving living conditions and alleviating suffering caused by Houthi attacks, Wam said.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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
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.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
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