Delegates from 10 places affected by wars or internal conflicts have travelled to Abu Dhabi to give peace a sporting chance.
The occasion is Generations for Peace, a camp launched in Amman in 2007 by Prince Feisal al Hussein, the crown prince of Jordan, as an initiative to use sport to unite youths from divided countries. This year it is Abu Dhabi's turn, and 69 delegates are participating. The objective is to use sport as a tool for building understanding and co-operation.
"As a result of our previous two camps, nearly 150 graduates have returned to 16 countries to cascade their new knowledge and skills to thousands of young people," Prince Feisal said yesterday at the opening ceremony in Abu Dhabi.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is supporting the camp by providing coaches and curriculum support. Coaches include the NBA star Ronaldo Blackman, as director of basketball development, and the US basketball Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Azzi.
The delegates will undergo interactive classroom sessions combined with exercises in basketball, softball, football and volleyball. When the delegates go back to their countries, they are expected to develop at least 20 trainers every year, work with 100 to 200 children annually, advocate peace projects and promote Generations for Peace, which will continue to support the activities after the camp.
Donna de Varona, winner of two Olympic gold medals, emphasised that sport enabled people from various backgrounds to come together. She recalled the first time she participated in the Olympics, at age 13, when an African athlete carried her on his shoulders to view the celebrations because she was too short. Ms Varona will be training the participants in softball.
Al Jazeera Club is providing the camp with the required facilities and coaches, including its top football players from Brazil, Joao Fernando Nelo and Ivorian Diaky. The International Sports Federation and a coach from the British football club Brighton and Hove Albion are also helping with the training.
At the opening ceremony, a partnership agreement was signed between the president of Samsung Gulf Electronics, Sun-Bong Kim, and Prince Feisal through which Samsung will provide the equipment and support for peace camps held in the Middle East this year. This camp's graduates will be provided with digital cameras from Samsung when they complete their first project once they return to their homelands, and they will use these cameras to provide feedback.
"The ability of sports to unify people and encourage them to challenge themselves and find inspiration strongly reflects Samsung's core philosophy of striving to improve society through digital technology," Mr Kim said.
More equipment and other types of support will follow as activities at the camp and beyond proceed, said Karan Chopra, a marketing manager at Samsung Gulf Electronics.
Delegates were split into groups yesterday to discuss personal conflicts they had experienced, how they tried to solve them and why they chose to be part of a peace programme rather than stay home and take revenge. Jawad Abdullah from the ministry of youth and sports in the Palestinian Territories, recalled his 10-year experience in holding sporting activities for groups who are not capable of joining sport clubs, such as overweight children.
Noting that neither war nor peace had so far been able to end the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, he said: "I am not saying sports is enough to end the conflict, but engaging the community in sports could help build bridges of tolerance and understanding."
Countries represented at Generations for Peace Abu Dhabi Camp 09, held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister, include India, Nigeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and the UAE. Delegates from the Palestinian Territories are also present.
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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.”
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
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You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
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match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
