The UAE ranked as the ninth most competitive nation in the world, maintaining its position as the only Arab country among the top 10 despite the headwinds posed by Covid-19, a new report showed.
The Gulf country ranked ahead of the US, Germany and the UK to emerge among the top 10 most competitive countries, according to Swiss business school IMD's World Competitiveness Yearbook released on Tuesday.
“The UAE is moving forward with an ambitious strategy that anticipates the future, nurture a culture of excellence to be in the lead of world competitiveness at various levels,” said Abdullah Lootah, director-general of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority.
“Thanks to the vision and guidance of the UAE’s leadership, the country managed since 2017 to join the top 10 competitive countries in this report, and to consolidate its well-deserved position among the top ten globally in the overall ranking and regional leadership."
The IMD ranking relies on data collected from statistics and information provided by the countries, classifies countries based on their economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure. It also bases the ranking on 20 other sub factors on 338 competitive indicators.
The Arab world’s second largest economy ranked fourth in terms of economic performance despite headwinds posed by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The UAE also clinched the first place in 23 indicators, including an absence of stifling bureaucracy, better immigration laws, low central government foreign debt and the percentage of women in parliament.
"Since the launch of the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015, we have taken all the necessary steps to enhance the UAE's position in global competitiveness reports and to establish our nation as a regional and global model for gender balance legislation,” said Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed, president of the UAE Gender Balance Council and of Dubai Women Establishment.
Singapore topped IMD’s competitiveness ranking, followed by Denmark, Switzerland and Netherlands.
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 name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Arrogate's winning run
1. Maiden Special Weight, Santa Anita Park, June 5, 2016
2. Allowance Optional Claiming, Santa Anita Park, June 24, 2016
3. Allowance Optional Claiming, Del Mar, August 4, 2016
4. Travers Stakes, Saratoga, August 27, 2016
5. Breeders' Cup Classic, Santa Anita Park, November 5, 2016
6. Pegasus World Cup, Gulfstream Park, January 28, 2017
7. Dubai World Cup, Meydan Racecourse, March 25, 2017
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
