Maitha Bin Sarm, 13, holds a painting she created, as part of the summer programme organised before the pandemic by The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development in Um Al Quwain. Reem Mohammed / The National
Maitha Bin Sarm, 13, holds a painting she created, as part of the summer programme organised before the pandemic by The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development in Um Al Quwain. Reem Mohammed / The National
Maitha Bin Sarm, 13, holds a painting she created, as part of the summer programme organised before the pandemic by The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development in Um Al Quwain. Reem Moham
Mariam Al Mheiri is head of the International Affairs Office of the Presidential Court, and a member of the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council
October 27, 2021
To our youth,
With the 26th UN Climate Change Conference, Cop26, in Glasgow approaching, people all over the world, especially the young, are demanding more robust and ambitious climate action.
In your own unique way, you have become our sustainability partners. As digital natives, you have harnessed the power of social media to raise awareness about our planet’s declining health.
And through your dedication to combat the climate crisis, you have forced changes to school curriculums, transformed perspectives, agendas, policies and leveraged technology to come up with innovative climate solutions.
In short, you have had a real impact on a cause in which you truly believe.
Your awareness of the challenges ahead and your passion to be part of the solution gives us hope for a brighter tomorrow.
No one is too young to make a difference
In the UAE, we realised early on that our young people are the backbone of the environmental sustainability movement. Figuratively speaking, they are the ultimate source of renewable energy that, when properly channeled, can fuel the way to a sustainable and climate-resilient future.
Qualified, trained and empowered youth can have a major influence on all aspects of development. Innovation and technology skills are the most important in coming up with out-of-the-box solutions to sustainability challenges.
We are committed to bridging the gap between youth and policy makers, engaging young people in our fight against climate change at home and abroad, and ensuring that young voices are heard in shaping the future of our nation.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg takes part in a Global Climate Strike of the movement Fridays for Future, in central Stockholm, Sweden, on October 22. Reuters
In this context, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment launched the Emirates Youth Climate Strategy that aims to develop environmental leadership skills among young people, promote their participation in decision making and climate action, and enable them to contribute to solving the environmental concerns of today and tomorrow. Young people played a key role in reviewing the UAE’s Nationally Determined Contribution – the country’s pledge to reduce its carbon emissions under the Paris Agreement – and the National Climate Change Adaptation Program, as well as in the preparations for the Abu Dhabi Climate Meeting in 2019.
Furthermore, in the UAE, young people are always included in the country’s delegations to relevant international conferences and involved in climate negotiations. Just recently, Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, led the UAE delegation to the Milan Pre-Cop26 and Youth4Climate meetings. We support the highest levels of youth engagement in Cop28, which we are bidding to host in Abu Dhabi in 2023.
Today, the young generation is leading the way to a more sustainable world. And you too can be leaders of change. You can build the future you want to live in.
Earlier this month, we witnessed a bold new development in our climate efforts – the launch of the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative that aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. I would like to call on you to help us reach this ambitious goal.
Whatever path you may choose to take in life, remember to be a friend to the environment and make sustainable and responsible decisions. There are countless ways in which you can do your part. A few simple steps can go a long way. For example, you can take advantage of our public transport network, carpool with friends, reduce, reuse and recycle waste, and make sustainable choices while shopping. You can inspire your families, peers and wider communities to follow your example and create a domino effect. If each one of us makes these small changes, it will eventually amount to a bigger impact.
No one is too young to make a difference. And we are here to support your ambitions for a greener, healthier world. Under the guidance of our wise leadership, we are dedicated to helping you protect your future and the future of the generations to come.
I take this opportunity to assure you that we understand your concerns, and encourage you to step up and become sustainability advocates. After all, we only have one planet, so let’s take good care of it.
The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Picture of Joumblatt and Hariri breaking bread sets Twitter alight
Mr Joumblatt’s pessimism regarding the Lebanese political situation didn’t stop him from enjoying a cheerful dinner on Tuesday with several politicians including Mr Hariri.
Caretaker Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury tweeted a picture of the group sitting around a table at a discrete fish restaurant in Beirut’s upscale Sodeco area.
Mr Joumblatt told The National that the fish served at Kelly’s Fish lounge had been very good.
“They really enjoyed their time”, remembers the restaurant owner. “Mr Hariri was taking selfies with everybody”.
Mr Hariri and Mr Joumblatt often have dinner together to discuss recent political developments.
Mr Joumblatt was a close ally of Mr Hariri’s assassinated father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri. The pair were leading figures in the political grouping against the 15-year Syrian occupation of Lebanon that ended after mass protests in 2005 in the wake of Rafik Hariri’s murder. After the younger Hariri took over his father’s mantle in 2004, the relationship with Mr Joumblatt endured.
However, the pair have not always been so close. In the run-up to the election last year, Messrs Hariri and Joumblatt went months without speaking over an argument regarding the new proportional electoral law to be used for the first time. Mr Joumblatt worried that a proportional system, which Mr Hariri backed, would see the influence of his small sect diminished.
With so much of Lebanese politics agreed in late-night meetings behind closed doors, the media and pundits put significant weight on how regularly, where and with who senior politicians meet.
In the picture, alongside Messrs Khoury and Hariri were Mr Joumbatt and his wife Nora, PSP politician Wael Abou Faour and Egyptian ambassador to Lebanon Nazih el Nagari.
The picture of the dinner led to a flurry of excitement on Twitter that it signified an imminent government formation. “God willing, white smoke will rise soon and Walid Beik [a nickname for Walid Joumblatt] will accept to give up the minister of industry”, one user replied to the tweet. “Blessings to you…We would like you to form a cabinet”, wrote another.
The next few days will be crucial in determining whether these wishes come true.
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO
Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198
