Emirati women continue to excel in the professional and corporate worlds. Delores Johnson / The National
Emirati women continue to excel in the professional and corporate worlds. Delores Johnson / The National
Emirati women continue to excel in the professional and corporate worlds. Delores Johnson / The National
Emirati women continue to excel in the professional and corporate worlds. Delores Johnson / The National

How policymakers can support a new crop of young, qualified women


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In the years I have lived and worked in the Middle East and North Africa I have often been struck by the remarkable and highly educated women leading change in their fields. Whether Saudis like Thoraya Obaid, who led the UN Population Fund, or Norah Al Faiz, with whom I had the privilege to work when she was in charge of girls education, Moroccans like writer and advocate Asma Lamrabet, or Iraqis like the world-renowned and sadly missed architect Zaha Hadid, Arab women have provided me with many of my role models. Perhaps the first was my grandmother, who qualified as a doctor in Baghdad in 1945, and became one of a generation of Iraqi women who saw no boundaries beyond their own abilities and ambitions. She and many like her paved the way for countless other men and women behind them.

Across our region today many women follow in that same tradition. The UAE is playing a leading role in this. Women here hold several prominent ministerial positions, and they are excelling in the professional and corporate worlds. Equally notable is the fact that the empowerment of women and girls has has become a pillar of the UAE’s new policy for foreign aid and international development.

That’s a remarkable step, which highlights how much further we have to go. Despite the fact that girls now perform better than boys in school-level education in most Arab countries, and account for the majority of university students in places like Algeria, Palestine and Saudi Arabia, there remain too few women in leadership positions across the board. Many formal and informal barriers still hinder the progression of hard working and well-qualified women.

That is why I have been so struck by a fellowship programme recently launched in the UAE that offers insights into how policymakers can best support the new crop of young, qualified women to become the change-makers of tomorrow, as my grandmother was.

The programme is focused on agricultural science. Improving food security is a central and urgent problem across the Mena region, as water scarcity grows ever more acute. The region will add 235 million additional inhabitants by 2050, and feeding them will mean that we need to produce ever more food despite shrinking natural resources.

Science is the key to tackle this challenge, but our region is still not harnessing all its great minds. With just 17 per cent of scientists being women, we have the worst academic gender imbalance anywhere in the world. What’s more, a high proportion of those working in agriculture are women, whether tending livestock in Tunisia, growing sorghum in Yemen or carrying out any number of other important jobs in every country. Unless those devising the solutions can take gender into account, we will be failing to support the people whose food production we need to improve.

That’s why I am so encouraged to see the emergence of Tamkeen, a fellowship programme that seeks to attract, develop and empower the next generation of women agricultural scientists in the Arab world. It takes its lead from a successful programme that is already operating in Sub-Saharan Africa. Agriculture does not form as large a part of the economy in Mena as it does in the rest of Africa, but many of the poorest people in our region are farmers. That means policymakers cannot eradicate poverty without helping those farmers to grow more crops. Add to this the enormous food-security challenges caused by a growing population and climate change, and it becomes clear that our region must strengthen its capacity to innovate in agriculture as much as Africa.

Tamkeen will start with scientists from the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. The programme is run by the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, based in Dubai, and aims to develop 20 women scientists per year from each country. The one-year, intensive programme is followed up with ongoing support, to strengthen and build women’s scientific skills and capabilities. Tamkeen creates a regional network of Arab women researchers, linking those regional researchers with international counterparts. The effort places women’s scientific contributions at the top of the agenda and in the front of minds. It’s an ambitious set of goals, but if Tamkeen is able to find the resources to reach its desired scale, it will produce within a few years a wave of skilled, empowered and well-connected women working on this important  development challenge.

Recently in Dubai, an initial cohort of a dozen fellows convened for the first pilot training sessions. They arrived from some of the greenest, most beautiful spots in the Arab world – the coast of Morocco, the hills of the West Bank, the rich Nile valley. Wherever they were from, they brimmed with the energy, determination and resilience that stems from a clear vision of a better future that they will themselves create.

Meeting these fellows makes you optimistic that people like this will provide their own solutions to the region’s challenges . Whether through Tamkeen, or any number of other great initiatives that are now taking shape, we have the tools to allow women to take their rightful place as leaders in every field. It is up to all of us now to make sure that happens.

Hassan Damluji is head of Middle East relations at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS

England v New Zealand

(Saturday, 12pm UAE)

Wales v South Africa

(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)

 

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  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta​​​​​​​
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The biog

Place of birth: Kalba

Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren

Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken

Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah

Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”

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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

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Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.

The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers. 

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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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7pm: Flood Zone
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TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

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Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 

Ad Astra

Director: James Gray

Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones

Five out of five stars 

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5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season