• Fresh produce on display at a market in Raqqa, northern Syria. More than three quarters of young Syrians say they struggle to afford food and basic necessities. AFP
    Fresh produce on display at a market in Raqqa, northern Syria. More than three quarters of young Syrians say they struggle to afford food and basic necessities. AFP
  • A buried tank next to the 'Free Woman' statue in the town of Kobani, Aleppo province, is a monument to 10 years of violence in Syria. AFP
    A buried tank next to the 'Free Woman' statue in the town of Kobani, Aleppo province, is a monument to 10 years of violence in Syria. AFP
  • A shepherd in Kobani, northern Syria, follows his goats past rubble and a building destroyed in the country's civil war. AFP
    A shepherd in Kobani, northern Syria, follows his goats past rubble and a building destroyed in the country's civil war. AFP
  • A boy stands next to a damaged house in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, also known as Ain Al Arab, in Aleppo province. AFP
    A boy stands next to a damaged house in the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, also known as Ain Al Arab, in Aleppo province. AFP
  • A man rides a horse and cart past damaged buildings in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa. AFP
    A man rides a horse and cart past damaged buildings in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa. AFP
  • A man extracts metal from the rubble of destroyed buildings in Raqqa. AFP
    A man extracts metal from the rubble of destroyed buildings in Raqqa. AFP
  • A child plays in a park in Raqqa, northern Syria. AFP
    A child plays in a park in Raqqa, northern Syria. AFP
  • Syrian rebel fighters for the National Liberation Front walk along a trench on the front line of a battle with regime forces in Idlib province. The conflict in Syria has been going on for 10 years. AFP
    Syrian rebel fighters for the National Liberation Front walk along a trench on the front line of a battle with regime forces in Idlib province. The conflict in Syria has been going on for 10 years. AFP
  • Children of displaced families living in an abandoned, damaged school building in Idlib play together. The school was heavily damaged in fighting between rebels and regime forces. AFP
    Children of displaced families living in an abandoned, damaged school building in Idlib play together. The school was heavily damaged in fighting between rebels and regime forces. AFP
  • Syrians take part in an anti-government demonstration in Idlib city, north-west Syria. The message on the sign behind them says: "We shall continue our revolution as long as there are figs and olives." AFP
    Syrians take part in an anti-government demonstration in Idlib city, north-west Syria. The message on the sign behind them says: "We shall continue our revolution as long as there are figs and olives." AFP
  • Children at a displacement camp near the village of Qah, in Syria's north-western Idlib province. AFP
    Children at a displacement camp near the village of Qah, in Syria's north-western Idlib province. AFP
  • A displacement camp near the village of Qah in Idlib province, near the Syrian-Turkish border. AFP
    A displacement camp near the village of Qah in Idlib province, near the Syrian-Turkish border. AFP
  • A boy stands next to a destroyed house covered in snow in Jabal Al Zawiyah, north-western Syria. The area is mostly deserted because of fighting and shelling. AFP
    A boy stands next to a destroyed house covered in snow in Jabal Al Zawiyah, north-western Syria. The area is mostly deserted because of fighting and shelling. AFP
  • A child stands outside an abandoned school building in Idlib province. Families, mostly displaced from the Maaret Al Noman area, south of Idlib city, have taken shelter in the school. AFP
    A child stands outside an abandoned school building in Idlib province. Families, mostly displaced from the Maaret Al Noman area, south of Idlib city, have taken shelter in the school. AFP
  • A Turkish military vehicle advances along a snow-covered road in the Jabal Al Zawiyah area of north-west Syria. AFP
    A Turkish military vehicle advances along a snow-covered road in the Jabal Al Zawiyah area of north-west Syria. AFP
  • A displaced family from Abu Al Duhur in eastern Idlib have taken shelter in a building damaged in air strikes by the Syrian regime. AFP
    A displaced family from Abu Al Duhur in eastern Idlib have taken shelter in a building damaged in air strikes by the Syrian regime. AFP
  • A displaced family from Abu Al Duhur, Idlib province, are living in building badly damaged during Syria's 10-year civil war. AFP
    A displaced family from Abu Al Duhur, Idlib province, are living in building badly damaged during Syria's 10-year civil war. AFP
  • A member of the Syrian Civil Defence, or White Helmets, cuts off a slab of concrete hanging from the roof of a building damaged during bombing by pro-government forces in Idlib province. AFP
    A member of the Syrian Civil Defence, or White Helmets, cuts off a slab of concrete hanging from the roof of a building damaged during bombing by pro-government forces in Idlib province. AFP
  • Children play outside a makeshift classroom, run by humanitarian group Syrian Relief, at the Haranbush displacement camp in Idlib province. AFP
    Children play outside a makeshift classroom, run by humanitarian group Syrian Relief, at the Haranbush displacement camp in Idlib province. AFP

MENA

ICRC poll of young Syrians shows half lost a relative or friend in conflict

Red Cross research provides ‘sombre snapshot of a generation’ who continue to suffer effects of war

Jamie Prentis
Jamie Prentis
London

March 10, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Nearly half of young Syrians said a close relative or friend had been killed in the civil war in the country, research from the International Committee of the Red Cross shows.

One in six said a parent was killed or seriously injured during the 10-year conflict, while 12 per cent of young Syrians had been injured and 62 per cent had been displaced from their homes, according to a survey of 1,400 Syrians aged 18 to 25 living in Germany, Lebanon and Syria.

It said 77 per cent struggled to find or afford food and basic necessities, a proportion that increased to 85 per cent among those in Syria. Nearly half had lost their income.

  • Kurdish demonstrators hurl rocks at a Turkish military vehicle, during a joint Turkish-Russian patrol near the town of Al Muabbadah in the northeastern part of Hassakah in 2019. AFP
    Kurdish demonstrators hurl rocks at a Turkish military vehicle, during a joint Turkish-Russian patrol near the town of Al Muabbadah in the northeastern part of Hassakah in 2019. AFP
  • A member of the Khabour Guards (MNK) Assyrian Syrian militia, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), walks in the ruins of the Assyrian Church of the Virgin Mary, which was previously destroyed by ISIS. AFP
    A member of the Khabour Guards (MNK) Assyrian Syrian militia, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), walks in the ruins of the Assyrian Church of the Virgin Mary, which was previously destroyed by ISIS. AFP
  • Kamal, the father of an eight-year-old girl who was fatally wounded along with his son Hamed (sitting at left on background), cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo in 2012. AFP
    Kamal, the father of an eight-year-old girl who was fatally wounded along with his son Hamed (sitting at left on background), cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo in 2012. AFP
  • A woman and her baby are seen through the scope of an opposition fighter sniper gun, as she flees the Saif Al Dawla neighbourhood of the Syrian northern city of Aleppo, amid heavy street fighting. AFP
    A woman and her baby are seen through the scope of an opposition fighter sniper gun, as she flees the Saif Al Dawla neighbourhood of the Syrian northern city of Aleppo, amid heavy street fighting. AFP
  • A woman cries as she looks at her house in Raqa, after a Kurdish-led force expelled the Islamic State group from the northern Syrian city in 2017. AFP
    A woman cries as she looks at her house in Raqa, after a Kurdish-led force expelled the Islamic State group from the northern Syrian city in 2017. AFP
  • A man carries a young girl who was injured in a reported barrel-bomb attack by government forces in Kallaseh district in the northern city of Aleppo in 2014. AFP
    A man carries a young girl who was injured in a reported barrel-bomb attack by government forces in Kallaseh district in the northern city of Aleppo in 2014. AFP
  • A female Syrian soldier from the Republican Guard commando battalion fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) during clashes with rebels in the restive Jobar area, in eastern Damascus in 2015. AFP
    A female Syrian soldier from the Republican Guard commando battalion fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) during clashes with rebels in the restive Jobar area, in eastern Damascus in 2015. AFP
  • A woman reacts as she holds her daughter during an air strike by Syrian air force near her house in the Ahad neighbourhood of Aleppo in 2013. AFP
    A woman reacts as she holds her daughter during an air strike by Syrian air force near her house in the Ahad neighbourhood of Aleppo in 2013. AFP
  • A Kurdish Syrian woman walks with her child past the ruins of the town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab. AFP
    A Kurdish Syrian woman walks with her child past the ruins of the town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab. AFP

"This has been a decade of savage loss for all Syrians. For young people in particular, the past 10 years have been marked by loss of loved ones, loss of opportunities and loss of control over their future," said Robert Mardini, director general of the ICRC.

“The survey is a sombre snapshot of a generation who lost their adolescence and young adulthood to the conflict."

The ICRC said more than 50 per cent of Syria’s population was under 25.

More than half of the young Syrians polled said they suffered from sleep disorders in the past 12 months, nearly three quarters suffered with anxiety, more than half struggled with depression and more than two thirds felt distressed.

The survey showed that about half felt lonely and about two thirds experienced frustration.

"These young people are now facing their second decade of this agonising crisis,” said Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC regional director for the Near and Middle East.

“What is so poignant about their situation is that, having lost much of their childhood and teenage years to the violence, this generation will likely shoulder much of the responsibility and work of reconstruction.

“Their children's lives will be marked by this conflict, too."

Looking ahead, young Syrians said they most wanted employment and economic opportunities, with education, psychological support and health care also key priorities.

  • Syrian soldiers are seen cheering President Bashar Al Assad during his visit to Al Habit on the southern edges of the Idlib province, in a picture released on October 22, 2019. AFP / Syrian Presidency Facebook page
    Syrian soldiers are seen cheering President Bashar Al Assad during his visit to Al Habit on the southern edges of the Idlib province, in a picture released on October 22, 2019. AFP / Syrian Presidency Facebook page
  • A Turkish gendarme retrieves the body of Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi from a beach in Turkey. Reuters
    A Turkish gendarme retrieves the body of Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi from a beach in Turkey. Reuters
  • The guided-missile destroyer 'USS Porter' conducts strikes while in the Mediterranean Sea, on April 7, 2017. AFP / US NAVY
    The guided-missile destroyer 'USS Porter' conducts strikes while in the Mediterranean Sea, on April 7, 2017. AFP / US NAVY
  • A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on October 31, 2013, shows the remains of a mortar after an alleged mortar attack by rebel fighters on the Damascus mixed Christian-Druze suburb of Jaramana. AFP / Sana
    A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on October 31, 2013, shows the remains of a mortar after an alleged mortar attack by rebel fighters on the Damascus mixed Christian-Druze suburb of Jaramana. AFP / Sana
  • Displaced Syrians from the south of Idlib province sit out in the open in the countryside west of the town of Dana in the north-west Syrian region on December 23, 2019. AFP
    Displaced Syrians from the south of Idlib province sit out in the open in the countryside west of the town of Dana in the north-west Syrian region on December 23, 2019. AFP
  • This picture shows a general view of an overcrowded displacement camp near the village of Qah near the Turkish border in Syria's north-west Idlib province, on October 28, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic crisis. AFP
    This picture shows a general view of an overcrowded displacement camp near the village of Qah near the Turkish border in Syria's north-west Idlib province, on October 28, 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic crisis. AFP
  • A picture taken on March 23, 2019, shows the last ISIS bastion in the eastern Syrian village of Baghuz after the defeat of the group. The Kurdish-led forces pronounced the end of ISIS regime on March 23, 2019, after flushing out the diehard militants from their very last bastion in eastern Syria. AFP
    A picture taken on March 23, 2019, shows the last ISIS bastion in the eastern Syrian village of Baghuz after the defeat of the group. The Kurdish-led forces pronounced the end of ISIS regime on March 23, 2019, after flushing out the diehard militants from their very last bastion in eastern Syria. AFP
  • Anti-government activists gesture as they gather on the streets of Daraa, 100 kilometres south of the capital Damascus, on March 23, 2011. AFP
    Anti-government activists gesture as they gather on the streets of Daraa, 100 kilometres south of the capital Damascus, on March 23, 2011. AFP
  • Syria's President Bashar Al Assad heading a cabinet meeting in the presidential palace in Damascus in 2013. Sana / AFP
    Syria's President Bashar Al Assad heading a cabinet meeting in the presidential palace in Damascus in 2013. Sana / AFP
  • A picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows a Russian army pilot leaving the cockpit of a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP
    A picture taken on October 3, 2015 shows a Russian army pilot leaving the cockpit of a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft at the Hmeimim airbase in the Syrian province of Latakia. AFP
  • Members of the Free Syrian Army raise their weapons during a patrol in Idlib in north-west Syria on February 18, 2012. AFP
    Members of the Free Syrian Army raise their weapons during a patrol in Idlib in north-west Syria on February 18, 2012. AFP
  • Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is shown shaking hands with government troops in Eastern Ghouta, in the leader's first trip to the former rebel enclave outside Damascus in years, in this handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on March 18, 2018. Syrian Presidency Facebook page / AFP
    Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is shown shaking hands with government troops in Eastern Ghouta, in the leader's first trip to the former rebel enclave outside Damascus in years, in this handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency on March 18, 2018. Syrian Presidency Facebook page / AFP
  • Militant fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province, on June 30, 2014. Reuters
    Militant fighters wave flags as they take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province, on June 30, 2014. Reuters
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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