UAE and UK officials have held the first London meeting of their strategic dialogue, committing to elevate it as a platform for deeper co-operation.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, led the talks alongside his British counterpart James Cleverly. The two sides said the UAE-UK strategic dialogue would advance international peace, security, and growth.
“The enduring ties between the UAE and UK – further elevated by the Partnership for the Future – provide a model platform of international co-operation to address the pressing challenges of our time and pursue opportunities that promise to bolster prosperity for our peoples across diverse areas of co-operation, including energy, climate change mitigation, science and technology, security, and people-to-people ties,” said Sheikh Abdullah.
Sheikh Abdullah also held talks with Grant Shapps, the UK's Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, to review the co-operation between the two countries across industrial, trade, investment and energy sectors.
The discussion addressed climate change and international climate action to protect the planet’s future, highlighting the UAE’s preparations to host the Cop28.
The UAE and UK sides agreed climate action stand out as a common priority for both economic growth and multilateral co-operation.
Changing dynamics
A senior Conservative MP welcomed the high level UAE-UK meetings as a recognition of changing global dynamics.
Chairman of the defence select committee Tobias Ellwood wrote in The Daily Telegraph: “Foreign ministers of both countries are meeting to review the progress of the UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership (SIP) which is investing millions in key innovation-led sectors: technology, infrastructure, health care and life sciences, and clean and renewable energy.
“The UK’s recent integrated review of diplomatic and defence priorities commits our nation to 'working with all who support an open and stable international order and the protection of global public goods'.
“With the superpowers distracted, the UAE proves itself to be a loyal UK ally and a worthy member of the UN Security Council in 2023, one which pushes for constructive engagement without compromising its core values in a troubled region.”
Mr Ellwood said that with no clear lead from global superpowers failing to show leadership, other countries must step up to ensure their interests. He drew a line from this to new forms of international co-operation.
He said constructive engagement included seeking to lower regional tensions and expanding ties with long-standing allies.
“Step forward the United Arab Emirates,” he wrote. “Since it signed the Abraham Accords in 2020, which began the process of normalising relations with Israel, the UAE has been engaged in mature 21st century politics – discreetly shaping peace and stability in the region by working for consensus and good neighbourliness.”
Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President, tweeted that the strategic dialogue brought together the UAE and the UK in fields such as science, technology and renewable energy to strengthen the partnerships.
The UAE-UK SIP is the central investment platform under the 2021 Partnership for the Future bilateral framework to include joint investments in four areas: life sciences, energy transition, technology and infrastructure.
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
