The head of Unicef has warned that ongoing conflict in the Middle East risks creating a “lost generation”.
Henrietta Fore urged the world to “stand up” for young people in war-torn parts of the region.
Speaking to The National at the World Government Summit in Dubai, she said there was an urgent need for better education programmes in Syria to teach children how to spot unexploded weapons.
Young people in the country, around half of whom have never lived through anything other than war, were being attracted to the “prettily-coloured” devices and losing limbs when they touched them, she said.
The 70-year-old, who between 2007 and 2009 was in charge of administering almost $40 billion of American overseas aid per year and took over as Unicef executive director in January last year, visited both Yemen and Syria in 2018.
“Sometimes you think you’ve seen everything,” she said, reflecting on the personal impact the trips had on her. “But you see a child in front of you... We had one visit in to a hospital in which there was a mother who was racing in and she had a very ill child because of poor water and not enough food.
“And they’re so thin and so frail and you could just see with tears coming down her face that she was so worried that her child would die. You cannot but want to gather this child, bring food, do something to help. The child died in her arms and it just breaks your heart.
“When we were in the hospital we went into the incubator ward, these are the babies that have been born prematurely or need help just after they have been born. The lights went out, they lost all electricity. It meant that all the oxygen went out. And here are all these babies that are just struggling for breath. I mean, as a world it is inhumane if we don’t look at this.”
The incidents took place in Yemen.
Peace negotiations to end the conflict through the Stockholm Agreement have achieved some success, but there is still “too much violence,” she said.
There have been repeated breaches of the ceasefire by Houthi rebel factions since the deal was forged in December.
Earlier this week, Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on social media that it was vital that "the international community support the agreement".
He added that the rebel group is "threatening the overall prospects for peace" through its persistent disregard for the deal.
“To everyone we say, we need peace,” Ms Fore added. "It’s what children need. Children are always the most fragile and are often the first victims in a war and in violence. We as a world have often forgotten that we need to look after children. They are our future. We who are older, and adults, need to help.”
At the summit, Unicef is promoting a new $3.9 billion humanitarian appeal, with the cash to be spent across 49 countries. Ms Fore took part in a panel discussion in which she spoke about Unicef’s "Generation Unlimited" campaign, which aims to ensure every child has access to a quality education by 2030.
Ms Fore also addressed the sexual exploitation and abuse scandal that engulfed the charity sector last year - Oxfam was hit with a major controversy after it was accused of covering up claims that its aid workers had sexually exploited female victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
We believe strongly in zero tolerance of any sort of sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment
Unicef also came under scrutiny, after James Forsyth, a deputy director at the charity, resigned over claims of inappropriate behaviour towards women in a previous job.
Unicef has also admitted failings in its efforts to keep children safe in the Central African Republic in 2013 and 2014.
An independent review in 2015 found that UN agencies’ response to allegations of sexual abuse by peacekeeping troops in the country was “seriously flawed” and “the welfare of the victims and the accountability of the perpetrators appeared to be an afterthought, if considered at all”.
Ms Fore issued a statement last year about sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
In it, she admitted to “failures in cultures and processes” at Unicef, adding that “this problem has lingered for too long”.
Among the new measures put in place are improved processes for staff to report any concerns, more strenuous vetting and commissioning external groups to scrutinise the organisation.
“We believe strongly in zero tolerance of any sort of sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment,” she said. “The trends [of reports of concerns] are going up. People are now feeling the trust that they can speak up and something will be done about it.
“Whenever we have an allegation that comes into us, within 24 hours I know something is happening. We also have anonymous mechanisms so that we can tell when an office has something to look into. We have many mechanisms at work so people can speak up confidentially, in public, in their offices, so we can do something about it.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3E5pm%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(Turf)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWinner%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAl%20Hazeez%2C%20Saif%20Al%20Balushi%20(jockey)%2C%20Khalifa%20Al%20Neyadi%20(trainer)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E5.30pm%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EShams%20Gate%20Tower%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWinner%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20ES%20Sudani%2C%20Antonio%20Fresu%2C%20Hamad%20Al%20Marar%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E6pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Al%20Bahr%20Towers%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWinner%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AF%20Musannef%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E6.30pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Capital%20Gate%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWinner%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shugga'A%20Baynounah%2C%20Dane%20O%E2%80%99Neill%2C%20Nisren%20Mahgoub%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7pm%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEtihad%20Towers%20%E2%80%93%20Conditions%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWinner%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAF%20Maqam%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.30pm%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fairmont%20Marina%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWinner%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETempesta%20D'Oro%2C%20Xavier%20Ziani%2C%20Salem%20bin%20Ghadayer%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206-cylinder%203-litre%2C%20with%20petrol%20and%20diesel%20variants%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20286hp%20(petrol)%2C%20249hp%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E450Nm%20(petrol)%2C%20550Nm%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EStarting%20at%20%2469%2C800%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.