Day: October 17, 2021

Posted on

130th Canton Fair: China to continue opening-up, sharing opportunities with the world

GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — On October 14, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 130th Canton Fair.

In his letter, Xi noted that the Fair made significant contributions to facilitating international trade, internal-external exchanges, and economic development since its founding in 1957.

Facing global changes and a pandemic both unseen in a century, the world economy and trade are undergoing profound transformations. The Canton Fair, therefore, should help foster China’s new development paradigm, innovate its mechanism, create more business models, and expand its role to become a vital platform for the country’s opening-up on all fronts, Xi said.

This platform should also help advance the high-quality development of global trade and facilitate the “dual circulation” of domestic and overseas markets. China is willing to join hands with all other nations and practice real multilateralism to build a world economy featuring high-level openness, Xi said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 130th Canton Fair and the Pearl River International Trade Forum in China’s southern city of Guangzhou. He said China’s development is propelled by opening-up and reform, and the country will share its development opportunities with the world to achieve better development.

130th Canton Fair: China to continue opening-up, sharing opportunities with the world

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Cote d’Ivoire Prime Minister Patrick Achi and Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development Rebeca Grynspan attended the ceremony via video link.

Premier Li said the history of the Canton Fair is a history of China’s opening-up and integration into the world economy, and also a history of enterprises from all over the world sharing China’s development opportunities and achieving mutual benefit and win-win results.

Foreign leaders spoke highly of the Canton Fair’s role in promoting international trade and facilitating the global economic recovery in the post-pandemic era. They expressed their confidence in China’s economic development prospects and said that they will encourage companies from their countries to expand cooperation in China to better share China’s development opportunities.

After the opening ceremony, Premier Li inspected some domestic and foreign exhibition halls and listened to their briefings on businesses. In the end of the inspection, Premier Li said he hopes the Fair can scale new heights in advancing win-win cooperation and sustainable development.

Please visit: https://fbuyer.cantonfair.org.cn/en/account/new-buyer/register for more opportunities

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1661958/130th_Canton_Fair.jpg

Posted on

Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre to unveil newest smart application at GITEX 2021

ABU DHABI, The Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) will participate in the Abu Dhabi Government pavilion during “GITEX Technology Week” from 17th to 21st October 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

During the event, the Centre will shed light on its most important e-projects to confront COVID-19. Also, they will unveil the platform to improve the monitoring of COVID-19 vaccinations by senior citizens and residents, the Contact Tracing Assistant System project, as well as the isolation and quarantine programmes project.

“Our second participation in GITEX Week comes as part of Abu Dhabi digital government efforts to establish an effective and innovative system that helps to build a sustainable digital base. We are also keen on developing and innovating new services that are in line with the best practices, to become one of the world-leading institutions in the field of public health,” said Matar Saeed Al Nuaimi, Director-General of ADPHC.

Al Nuaimi pointed out that ADPHC’s participation in GITEX 2021 is an important opportunity to exchange views with experts and reveal ADPHC’s latest digital developments and solutions to confront the pandemic.

Another platform will be on display that aims to intensify awareness efforts and urge people who are 50 years old and over to become vaccinated by adding to a database that contains all the needed details about citizens who are over 50 years old and not vaccinated.

As an effective platform to spread awareness and help to control the epidemic effectively, the Centre will review its project, entitled “Platform to improve uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations by senior citizens and residents ” during its participation at GITEX 2021. The project is considered to be the latest innovation to facilitate the contact tracing process for COVID-19, get in touch with infected people and control the epidemic. The project consists of a system used to conduct a virtual online conversation with the public to collect the information the healthcare system needs to control the spread of any disease.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Posted on

Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, Hub71 to foster innovation ecosystem in healthcare

DUBAI, The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate, continues to invest in providing an attractive innovation ecosystem in healthcare through a collaboration with Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem. This comes as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) both entities signed today at GITEX Technology Week. This partnership reinforces the efforts put forward by DoH to foster innovation in healthcare. It aims to create commercial opportunities for start-ups and enhance cooperation between entities from different fields in order to shed light on the most important challenges and provide technology-driven solutions and initiatives. These efforts aim to reflect positively on the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi, improving the health and safety of community members.

Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of DoH, and Badr Al-Olama, Chief Executive Officer of Hub71, signed the MoU at GITEX Technology Week.

HealthTech startup founders at Hub71 will benefit from direct access to the DoH’s vast network of local and international partners, customers, experts and investors, in addition to gaining priority entry into the DoH Plug and Play MENA HealthTech accelerator programme and the DoH Health Technology Assessment. DoH will also support Hub71’s founders in commercialising products and services by providing connections to hospitals, health insurance, life sciences partners, and universities in need of entrepreneurial support. The partnership will culminate with the launch of the annual Hub71-DoH HealthTech Challenge. DoH will also join Hub71’s selection committee to choose highly skilled entrepreneurs and exceptional startups to join Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem.

Al Kaabi commented: “The Department of Health- Abu Dhabi (DoH) continues to consolidate its position as an incubator for innovation in the healthcare sector and a contributor to Abu Dhabi’s tech ecosystem, by establishing a dedicated centre for research and innovation in healthcare. The centre provides a stimulating and enabling regulatory environment for healthcare innovation, and targets startups by inviting them to find solutions to the challenges facing the local and global health sector. We have dedicated our efforts to ensure that the healthcare sector in the emirate adopts the optimal system to accelerate the adoption of modern technology in terms of the flexibility of legislation, ease of carrying out research and proof-of-concept tests. We also sought to provide the opportunity for health technology to join the healthcare network in the emirate, and established the first MENA healthcare accelerator programme in partnership with Plug and Play Abu Dhabi.”

Al-Olama said: “Our partnership with DoH will energise the future of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector, complementing Abu Dhabi’s world-leading response to COVID-19. The healthcare sector plays an essential role in keeping communities safe and this partnership signifies how rapidly digital technologies are transforming the way patients interact with healthcare providers, and the major steps taken by the DoH to embrace and harness innovation. We are aligning our efforts to support a national priority sector, and Hub71 is nurturing those changemakers who want to create a better society through disruptive technologies that will ultimately improve healthcare outcomes in Abu Dhabi.”

Hub71 supports 17 HealthTech startups specialising in a range of innovative platforms and products that are addressing real-life challenges in healthcare, such as stimulating cognitive development among autistic children, enabling virtual consultation from hospitals and medical care centres, and delivering digital therapy courses and online counseling.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Posted on

EHS opens specialised mental health treatment unit targeting senior citizens

DUBAI, The Emirates Health Services (EHS) has announced the inauguration of the UAE’s first specialised treatment unit for inpatient mental health targeting senior citizens at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital.

The opening of the new unit comes in line with the UAE government’s vision, aimed at improving the quality of life of senior citizens and providing them with a decent and safe life, to bolster their integration into the UAE’s social life and enhance their capabilities, despite all psychological challenges.

The new treatment unit will serve senior citizens suffering from severe psychological disorders and who require hospitalisations for evaluation and treatment. It will be managed by a highly qualified multidisciplinary team that includes an elite group of psychological and social specialists, which will be supported by the cooperation between the Emirates Health Services and Maudsley Health, one of the oldest and most important psychological treatment institutions in the world.

“The EHS is very keen to provide exceptional health care to senior citizens, in accordance with the directives of the wise leadership, to improve their quality of life, enhance the public awareness of their health and psychological needs, launch initiatives and projects that focus on promoting their mental health within the national health planning and policies,” said Dr. Youssef Mohammed Al Serkal, EHS Director-General.

Al Serkal stressed that senior citizens are now being provided with easy access to services available at Al Amal Hospital, which has international accreditation, the first of its kind in the region.

“We want to develop and train medical and technical cadres, support and promote scientific research in the field of mental health, upgrade information systems and update the statistical database on mental health, in line with the National Mental Health Policy,” Al Serkal said.

For her part, Dr. Noor Al Muhairi, Director of EHS’s Department of Mental Health, said that introducing a new therapeutic unit for senior citizens will not only improve the available mental health services, but will also help deal with physiological and psychological changes in the aging stage, by evaluating a patient’s behavior and awareness, remedial procedures, effective care methods, as well as provide behavioral and psychological support.

“Recognising the fact that this segment needs special care, we are keen to develop field research to formulate innovative policies, and anticipate challenges to handle them effectively,” Al Muhairi added.

Dr. Amna Turki Al Ali, Director of Al Amal Hospital, stated that the inpatient unit for treating mental health issues among senior citizens will improve the efficiency of mental health services meant for this group, using an effective approach that follows the best scientific evidence available, with optimum use of resources and continuous training of mental health service providers.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Posted on

Increased economic activity uplifting consumer sentiment, Dubai Economy says

DUBAI, Consumer confidence in Dubai moved to its highest level in 10 years during the third quarter of 2021, the Consumer Confidence Index tracked by Dubai Economy showed. During the quarter the Index rose two points from the previous quarter and 21 points compared to the same quarter of 2020.

The quarterly Consumer Confidence Index measures current and future sentiment of consumers towards the state of economy, job prospects locally, personal finances and consumers’ perception on whether it’s a good time to buy things they need or want.

The Q3 2021 Index showed that 73 percent of consumers were positive about current job prospects, compared to 46 percent in the same quarter of the previous year. A higher share of consumers (88 percent) were optimistic about job prospects in the next 12 months, compared to 77 percent in Q3 2020. Europeans and Americans were the most optimistic (80 percent) on current job prospects while Emiratis were the most optimistic (93 percent) on job prospects in the next 12 months.

Commenting on the findings, Mohammed Ali Rashed Lootah, CEO of the Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection Sector at Dubai Economy, said, “The latest Consumer Confidence Index reflects an unprecedented level of positive sentiment towards the state of the economy and how Dubai successfully overcame the global economic challenges related to COVID-19 by reactivating the economic activity. A clear proof of this optimism is 86 percent consumers believing that their current personal finances are good compared to 72 percent in the same period of last year.”

Lootah added that 82 percent of consumers considering it a good time to buy things they want or need augur well for consumer spending and economic growth locally. “The share of consumers who were positive about the state of economy during the third quarter of this year have grown to 78 percent from 57 percent during the same period last year. Meanwhile, the third quarter Consumer Confidence Index also indicates positive sentiment prevailing among 85 percent on the state of economy for the next 12 months, compared to 72 percent in the same quarter of 2020,” he added.

The study shows that 82 percent of Emiratis and 81 percent business owners from different nationalities believe that the current state of the economy is good, while 95 percent of public sector employees and 87 percent of males who participated in the study believe that the state of the economy in the next 12 months will be good. “Increase in tourism, growth in business, and rise in promotional campaigns are the main factors driving positive sentiment in Dubai,” Lootah said.

The Index showed that 44 percent of consumers plan to spend their spare cash on vacations, 36 percent of them on outdoor entertainment, and 33 percent on new clothes. The Index also showed that 51 percent consumers are likely to spend less on buying new clothes, while 39 percent plan to cut down on short holidays and 38 percent on outdoor entertainment as measures to stay within budget.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Posted on

Dubai Customs launches smart lockers initiative to safekeep passenger cargo

DUBAI, On the inaugural day of GITEX Technology Week 2021, Dubai Customs launched I-Box smart lockers for storing commercial items or valuable cargo carried on by inbound transit passengers.

The initiative enables travelers to keep their valuable goods in the airport customs centre on arrival without paying duty and collect them through self-clearance service on departure from the country.

Under the theme “Digital Trade for Safe, Sustainable Supply Chains”, Dubai Customs is taking part in this year’s GITEX with eight cutting-edge smart initiatives.

The participation highlights the goals of the organisation’s strategic plan 2021-2026 towards leading sustainable customs globally by furthering digitisation of services to facilitate trade, protect society and economy, and enhance people’s experience of customs as a service.

The I-Box smart lockers project is set to speed up logistics and handling services for valuable cargo at the airport. The advanced initiative has cut down the process time for delivery of valuable items from 30 minutes to 1 minute only. The passenger can simply scan the QR code on the locker and use the OTP code sent to his phone number to unlock the locker and pay storage fees online without any paper work. These fireproof lockers boast high-end security systems and are easy to move from one place to another within the airport terminals.

“Dubai has established its global distinction and leadership on building innovative projects that ensure sustainable development in all fields, following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai,” said Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Director-General of Dubai Customs. “His Highness’s forward-looking vision of digital transformation and ongoing disruption of the way the government works has reinforced Dubai’s leading position as a global incubator for innovators and an attractive environment for businesses and investments.”

Ibrahim Al Kamali, Director of Passenger Operations Department at Dubai Customs, on his part said, “Dubai Customs seeks to make travelers happier by offering them quick and easy services that expedite entry procedures and enhance their experience, especially in light of the increasing numbers of traders transiting through Dubai.”

Source: Emirates News Agency