Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, was presented with the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice in recognition of his contribution towards promotion of justice and peaceful co-existence.
He was recognised for his work in the UAE protecting the environment, preserving its natural resources, and making sustainable development a national priority.
Presenting the awards was Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, alongside Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, and Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
All of my inventions align with the UAE’s sustainability goals
Mezna Al Mansouri,
award winner
Members of the royal family, dignitaries, ministers and family members also attended the ceremony.
The Mother Teresa award is an annual event held to honour individuals and organisations that promote peace, equality and social justice. Each year celebrates a specific theme and this year it was “Environmental Sustainability”.
The awards ceremony was held for the first time in the UAE, at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation.
In a speech on behalf of Sheikha Fatima, Reem Al Falasi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said: “We all know what we have to do to promote the concept of environmental sustainability, which is celebrated by the Mother Teresa prize this year. We must recognise not only as a local community, but as an international community the challenges and threats to the problems caused by human activities in the environment and face the problems created by the increasing and often extravagant human demands.
“We must make more efforts and creative initiatives to reduce risks to humans and set starting points to understand the environment and achieve the optimal balance between growth and preservation and sustainability of its resources, to ensure a clean and healthy environment to provide a quality of life for the current and future generations so that they enjoy stability and social well-being,” Ms Al Falasi said.
Among the 14 honoured recipients is Emirati Mezna Al Mansouri, 18, who has had more than a dozen inventions accredited by the Emirates Science Club.
She is also a first year medical student at UAEU and was nominated as a future ambassador by the Ministry of Education in 2019 as part of the ambassadors programme.
“I have always been interested in medicine and the environment as well and I wanted to know how to combine both," she said after winning the award.
"There are a lot of tools used in the medical field and I want to explore how to make these tools and equipment environmentally friendly.”
Ms Al Mansouri is also a member of the Emirates Children’s Parliament. Recently she invented a smart soil tracker to help farmers grow healthy crops, as well as a smart epilepsy tracker device.
“All of my inventions align with the UAE’s sustainability goals. I am hoping to expand my contributions. Today the world is leaning towards environmentally friendly fashion and that is something I have never explored before but would like to start and innovate something in this field.”
Another winner is Emirati Ahmad Salim Al Mutawa, 21.
Mr Al Mutawa is a final year student at the University of Liverpool where he is studying mechatronics and robotic systems engineering. His work combines robotics with the environment.
“I want to continue using technology to find solutions to support the environment. We have surpassed the awareness stage and now it is time to use AI and robotic technology.”
Mr Al Mutawa is also a member of the Supreme Council of Motherhood and Childhood's Emirati Children's Parliament.
In 2019, Mr Al Mutawa was the youngest member of the judging committee at First Global Challenge, an Olympics-style, international robotics competition that takes place in a different country each year.
First Global invites each nation to send a team to build and program a robot to compete. Teams work together to complete tasks in a game themed around one of the greatest challenges facing our planet.
Sainath Manikandan, 14, and his younger sister Saisahana Manikandan, 12, from Gems United Indian School were the youngest winners and inventors at Thursday's ceremony.
For the past six years, they have been actively involved in sustainability projects and campaigns.
"We are adhering to one of our school's core values "care" ― care for our environment and mother earth."
One of their first inventions was the Marine Robot Cleaner that collects waste from the surface of the water.
“I want to change our existing practices into green and sustainable solutions using technology and together we can heal the environment, love the planet,” Sainath said.
“We still want to continue the work that we are doing.”
Sainath is a member of the Emirates Environmental Group and ambassador of Tunza Eco Generation, Students of the Earth and Drop it Youth. Among many other initiatives and programmes, he is also Masdar’s youngest Youth4Sustainability ambassador and Environment Agency 50 years youth ambassador.
American visual artist and activist Dianna Cohen was another winner.
Ms Cohen is the chief executive and co-founder of the Plastic Pollution Coalition ― an advocacy group and social movement organisation that seeks to reduce plastic pollution.
The coalition has more than 1,200 organisations in 75 countries all working towards stopping plastic pollution.
“I think that in general the public is becoming more conscious ― does that mean that plastic production is reducing?” she said.
“No, but when you talk to people now, they understand. When you go to a restaurant and ask them not to put a straw in your drink or a farmers market and try to buy food with no plastic, people understand. They didn’t when we started 13 years ago and they say is it because the plastic gets in the ocean and is bad for turtles, for example, and we say yes,” she said.
“I would like to live in a world where we are free of plastic pollution. I'd like to live in a world where we package our food and beverages without extraneous packaging or use packaging like glass, leaves, stainless steel, ceramics, wood, seaweed ― anything that’s nontoxic and bio benign so we are not poisoning ourselves, because right now the world is poisoning itself.
"I have been working on it for 13 years and am willing to continue to do so,” she said.
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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RESULTS
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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.”
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at the Gabba
Australia 312-1
Warner 151 not out, Burns 97, Labuschagne 55 not out
Pakistan 240
Shafiq 76, Starc 4-52
