Across the Middle East and Africa region, 91 million babies do not officially exist, but a new UAE-led initiative is hoping to give them an identity.
Born as refugees, or in countries without established procedures, their births are not registered leaving children without a legal identity.
As a result, they cannot get vaccinations and other basic health care, education or a passport.
The problem is particularly bad in Lebanon, which is home to 1.5 million Syrian refugees, and Ethiopia, where a registration process exists but it remains almost impossible to access for people living in remote areas.
But a new campaign being run from the UAE is aiming to change that.
The Right Start Initiative, a three-year project by Johnson’s Baby and international charity Save the Children, was launched in Lebanon and Ethiopia last month.
“The issue is really that, at the outset, the lack of having a name means that children can’t get something as basic as their first vaccination,” said Andy Roberts, senior marketing director for the region at Johnson & Johnson.
“If you can’t prove the age of the child, then you can’t get basic health care. You then can’t register them for a school. And the problems escalate as you go through life. It’s very sad actually.”
Even returning to their home country after seeking refuge elsewhere is impossible, said Ahmed Bayram, media advocacy and communications co-ordinator for Save the Children.
“The simple right of moving around freely is not possible if these families decide to one day go back to Syria without papers,” said Mr Bayram.
“They will not be able to because the first thing they will be asked is how can you prove this baby is yours.”
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The Right Start Campaign seeks to increase registrations by hosting a selection of training events and workshops for government and parents to improve education on the topic.
There is no age restriction for registrations, though the initiative is primarily focused on babies and young children.
But the way the campaign operates in each country is different.
In Ethiopia, the government recently adopted a policy for the registration of births, but sign-up remain low, with just one in 20 children in rural areas registered.
“So it is a big education effort to get them to understand the value of being registered. And then it is really about building capacity among the federal and regional organisations in order to be able to perform the registration,” said Mr Roberts.
A birth registration programme was not previously set up in Lebanon, so the campaign is working to establish it for the first time under the Right Start initiative. And alongside that, the campaign is providing counselling support for affected families to help them through the process.
“Birth registration is a right of all children under the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child,” said Allison Zelkowitz, Lebanon country office director for Save the Children.
“We are grateful that Johnson’s Baby shares our concern about the long-term negative consequences faced by children lacking a legal identity.”
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
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It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
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