ABU DHABI // A national strategy involving more than 1,000 charity initiatives has been dedicated to the memory of UAE martyrs.
“Our martyrs paid the ultimate sacrifice for our dear homeland and their heroic deeds will live forever in the memory of the nation,” said the President, Sheikh Khalifa.
“Let us dedicate the greatest and noblest charitable efforts of the UAE and its people to those who gave their lives for this country.
“While keeping the memory of our martyrs and heroes alive, we seek to instil and sustain the habit of giving across the nation.”
The plan for the Year of Giving was revealed at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The meeting was held at Wahat Al Karama, the memorial for those who sacrificed their lives serving their country.
At the Giving Retreat in Dubai last month, more than 100 dignitaries reviewed ideas to institutionalise and coordinate humanitarian work as part of the country’s development in line with the vision of the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed.
“Far from being new to the UAE, charity and generosity are deeply rooted values that the late Sheikh Zayed had reinforced since the birth of the nation,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said.
A main goal of the Year of Giving is to make giving a habit for future generations.
As part of the plans, medical assistance – including humanitarian, diagnostic, therapeutic and surgical – has been offered to about 1,650 people in Tanzania.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid hailed the national strategy as a noble plan to sustain charitable efforts of the nation and its people, and said all residents should do their part.
“Dedicating the Year of Giving to the UAE martyrs is the greatest motivation to step up our efforts towards fulfilling its goals,” he said. “The UAE was established in the spirit of giving and is led by people who love to give.”
Volunteering is a key foundation of the strategy, which encourages investment in individual skills, experience and energies in charitable programmes and activities for the whole of society.
The programme is aimed at establishing a legislative framework to enhance governance of charity work and to make humanitarian and charitable activities more sustainable.
Businesses will also be encouraged to participate in the Year of Giving, with programmes such as an index that will rank companies according to their corporate social responsibility, as well as a responsible procurement programme to allocate a percentage of government contracts to companies excelling in such activities.
Volunteers will be catalogued in an online database and volunteering work will be organised through the National Volunteerism Centre, which will also provide training, conduct studies and publish reports.
Federal laws will be drafted to set regulations on volunteerism, endowments, social responsibility and community service.
Among the activities planned is the 100 Days of Giving event to take place in schools.
Other programmes outlined in the strategy are aimed at encouraging the involvement of humanitarian and media organisations.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Abu Dhabi GP Saturday schedule
12.30pm GP3 race (18 laps)
2pm Formula One final practice
5pm Formula One qualifying
6.40pm Formula 2 race (31 laps)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES
Saturday, November 3
Japan v New Zealand
Wales v Scotland
England v South Africa
Ireland v Italy
Saturday, November 10
Italy v Georgia
Scotland v Fiji
England v New Zealand
Wales v Australia
Ireland v Argentina
France v South Africa
Saturday, November 17
Italy v Australia
Wales v Tonga
England v Japan
Scotland v South Africa
Ireland v New Zealand
Saturday, November 24
|Italy v New Zealand
Scotland v Argentina
England v Australia
Wales v South Africa
Ireland v United States
France v Fiji
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
