The UAE has won a seat for the fourth time on the executive board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, where it will serve until 2023.
Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, led the UAE delegation to the 40th session of Unesco’s General Conference last week, where she met officials and heads of member state delegations.
“The UAE’s appointment to the Unesco’s executive board reflects the wide acknowledgement of the country’s prominent efforts in advancing initiatives in the fields of culture, science and education," Ms Al Kaabi said.
“This significant milestone is a recognition of our firm belief in the power of Unesco to bring about peace and prosperity to nations worldwide.”
She said the UAE was celebrating the achievement but “more hard work awaits” at the UN body.
“The UAE reiterates its commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to working with all member states to ensure its realisation through programmes and initiatives," Ms Al Kaabi said.
"We remain open for dialogue, exchange, and collaboration with all member states to find the best solutions that meet the needs of the people we serve.”
The executive board of Unesco comprises 58 member states elected by the Unesco General Conference. It meets twice a year to discuss the goals and objectives of the UN body, setting guidelines for its policies and strategy.
The board prepares the agenda for the conference and discusses the organisation's programme and budget estimates, which are submitted by the director general to the conference along with recommendations.
Every four years, the executive board recommends candidates to the general conference to fill the role of director general.
The UAE was founded on December 2, 1971, and four months later it became a member of Unesco.
Over the years, the country has been involved many of Unesco’s programmes, donated funds and developed initiatives to benefit people around the world.
In 2018, the UAE was ranked as the sixth top voluntary donor to Unesco and is a member on six committees.
The country has one site on Unesco’s World Heritage List, eight national and multinational Intangible Heritage listings, and two cities designated as Creative Cities by the agency.
It has established more than 120 Unesco-associated schools, and hosts the regional centre for education planning under the agency's auspices, among many other initiatives.
One recent initiative includes a UAE investment of $50 million (Dh183.6m) to restore three religious heritage sites that were destroyed by ISIS in the Iraqi city of Mosul.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia also won a seat on the executive board for the next four years.
The kingdom's Unesco mission tweeted that it "promises to further preserve heritage, foster innovation and creativity through culture, art and technology, empowering youth to meet the challenges of the future".
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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Star rating: 2/5
The specs
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- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
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UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
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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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Tenet
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Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar