Day: October 29, 2021

DAKAR, Sheikh Shakhbout bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State, has been awarded the National Order of the Lion by President of Senegal, Macky Sall, in recognition of his efforts to promote friendly relations between the two countries.

President Sall presented the Order when he received Sheikh Shakhbout at the Palace of the Republic in the capital Dakar, on Thursday.

Sheikh Shakhbout extended his thanks and appreciation for the honour and emphasised the strong ties between both countries on behalf of the UAE’s leadership.

The UAE Minister of State expressed his appreciation of the Order which reflects the friendly ties and cooperation between the two sides. The UAE always looks forward to enhancing cooperation in the best interests of the two countries, he noted.

The two sides discussed ways to develop relations in various fields. They also tackled several regional topics of mutual interest and ways to boost cooperation in the investment and economic sectors.

Sheikh Shakhbout met with Amadou Hott, Senegal’s Minister of Economy, Planning and International Cooperation, and discussed the distinguished bilateral relations and ways to develop them, particularly in the investment field.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Expo 2020 Dubai and Cartier celebrated the official inauguration of the Women’s Pavilion in a spectacular celebration at Al Wasl Plaza, held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and President of the Dubai Women Establishment.

The event was inaugurated by Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General, Expo 2020 Dubai; Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office and Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council; and Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier International.

The four artists commissioned to curate and design the Pavilion, Laura Gonzalez, eL Seed, Nadine Labaki and Mélanie Laurent along with ‘Friends of the Maison’ Monica Belluci, Vanessa Kirby, Ramla Ali, and Amira Casar, Yasmine Sabry, Fatima Albanawi, Dhafer L’Abidine, Fouz Al Fahad, Farida Khelfa and Elisa Sednaoui were also among the guests in attendance.

Under the exhibition titled “New Perspectives”, the Women’s Pavilion by Expo 2020, organised in collaboration with Cartier, invites visitors to celebrate and recognize the central role women have played throughout history, leading up to the present day. By showcasing these contributions, as well as the challenges that women around the word still face, the Pavilion seeks to amplify an important principle: when women thrive, humanity thrives.

Inaugurating the event, Reem Al Hashemy said: “The UAE has placed gender equality and women’s empowerment at the core of its ethos since its founding, recognising the immense potential of women to contribute to the nation’s rapid advancement – a belief that is echoed globally as crucial for sustainable development.

“We will soon mark the beginning of another 50 years of prosperity for the UAE, and we are emboldened by the stories of Arab and Muslim female trail-blazers from centuries past and present, brought to life in Expo 2020’s Women’s Pavilion. Challenging misconceptions and stereotypes, Expo 2020 reinforces the critical role of gender equality and women’s empowerment in safeguarding the future of humanity and our planet – and we welcome the world to engage with the Women’s Pavilion, reminding us all that every person has a role to play in the journey ahead.”

Cyrille Vigneron added: “The path to gender equality is a long path and the worst thing we could do is regress. All countries are moving in their own way but we also see regression when it comes to gender equality. We have to move forward from wherever we start, and that’s a place to rejoice and celebrate.”

Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office and Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, said the first ever Expo pavilion dedicated to recognising the contributions of women builds on the progress the UAE has made in enhancing women’s role in both national progress and social development over the past 50 years.

“Our gathering today demonstrates how Dubai is connecting different cultures and markets and offering a platform for forging new worldwide partnerships to address global issues. Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to have a pavilion dedicated to women with the aim of challenging stereotypes and unlocking new opportunities.”

She further said: “Though governments play a significant role in advancing women’s empowerment, they cannot succeed without meaningful collaborations with the private sector, civil societies, and committed individuals. Improved gender equality, which in turn accelerates economic growth and prosperity, is one of the many outcomes that such partnerships bring. Our leadership’s remarkable vision and unwavering support over the past 50 years has created a strong nation that today is a global model for sustainable people-centred growth and women’s development. Today, the UAE leads the region in female empowerment according to the UN, and the country is committed to further raising gender equality benchmarks as part of its ambitious future vision and strategy.”

In her address, Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, reminded the audience of the impact women can make when they are put in positions of power and influence.

Liz Bohannon, a social entrepreneur and former Cartier Women’s Initiative fellow, who has been working to develop businesses that can solve some of the most pressing challenges facing women and girls across the globe, hosted the evening. Guests enjoyed an evening of breathtaking performances by the artist and ‘Friend of the Maison’ Diana Vishneva, Russian Prima ballerina of Mariinsky theater and Denis Savin, principal dancer of the Bolshoi theater. Diana and Denis performed a lyrical homage to the greatest ballerina of the 20th century Maya Plisetskaya.

Sudanese-American poet and activist Emi Mahmoud left the audience in awe with a powerful spoken word poem celebrating the strength and resilience of women. Concluding the evening was a stunning musical performance by the celebrated pianist Khatia Buniatishvili and a children’s choir from La Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine de l’Opera National de Paris.

The two-day opening programme also included a series of specially curated talks with influential leaders and speakers from a variety of sectors and backgrounds, all addressing women’s empowerment from different perspectives.

Hind Alowais, Vice President of the International Participants Department at Expo 2020 Dubai, moderated a conversation between Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Executive Director of UN Women, and Cyrille Vigneron, focused on the ripple effect that women’s empowerment has on society, ultimately demonstrating that women’s advancement is key to solving the world’s most pressing issues.

Highlighting the central role of women in maintaining peace and stable societies, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Former Prime Minister of France and President of Leaders pour la Paix, gave the keynote introduction to the talk dedicated to Women and Peace. This was followed by a conversation with Irina Bokova, Former Director General of UNESCO; Zarifa Ghafari, activist and politician, youngest Afghan mayor; and Donia Kaouach, Managing Director of Leaders pour la Paix and President of Tunisiennes Fières.

French-Algerian documentary filmmaker Farida Khelfa led a talk on reimagining education systems with the friend of the Maison Ramla Ali, Somali professional boxer, model, author and racial equality activist; Audrey Cheng, Cartier Women’s Initiative fellow and Founder & Board member of Moringa School, and Lin Kobayashi, Co-founder and Chair of the Board of UWC ISAK Japan. Creating new innovative paths to equip girls with the knowledge and skills to thrive was a key topic of conversation.

The day concluded with a conversation on climate change and the role artists and activists can play in raising awareness on one of the most critical issues facing our planet. Vanessa Kirby, actress and film producer, engaged with Salma Abdulai, Founder and CEO of Amaati Co; Kate Horner, Deputy Executive Director of Amazon Frontlines; Mélanie Laurent, actress, screenwriter and director; Thyago Nogueira, curator of the exhibition “Claudia Andujar, the Yanomami Struggle”; and Nemonte Nenquimo, Leader of the Waorani and activist, supported by Amazon Frontlines.

Drawing on Cartier’s role in supporting artistic expression, a diverse community of creators and artists were brought on to contribute to the design and curation of the Women’s Pavilion. Interior architect Laura Gonzalez, together with Dubai born artist Kholoud Sharafi and French light designer Pauline David, designed the upper part of the façade. Commenting on her contribution, Laura stated: “When Cartier approached me to design the façade of the Women’s Pavilion, this project represented the fact that all women can achieve their dreams. The first impression is very important so I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”

French Tunisian artist eL Seed’s unique calligraphy took over the lower part of the façade. He noted that: “The façade was a platform to amplify the voice of women in Nepal and to tell a story. I linked the façade to a ‘calligraffiti’ project I created in a small village, located two to three hours’ drive from Kathmandu, which was rebuilt entirely by women using earthquake-resistant bricks, following the earthquake in 2015 in Nepal.”

Nadine Labaki, Lebanese actress and the first female Arab director to be nominated for an Oscar in the category for Best Foreign Language Film, directed the short film featured as guests enter the pavilion where she highlights the meaning of gender equality through the lens of young activists from around the world. “We need to start thinking in alternative ways and explore how the world can transition to where it should be. The pandemic revealed a lot of failures in our system and things that need to change – the short documentary that I worked on for the Women’s Pavilion provided an opportunity to hop on this train of alternative thinking and start the journey.” she said.

French actress, screenwriter and director Mélanie Laurent took over the second floor of the pavilion to curate an immersive exhibition fostering dialogues across cultural, artistic, and social fields in three sections. She highlighted that “Today is better; we have opportunities and we have fought so hard not to have to make this choice for real. Let’s hope that for tomorrow, everyone will have the same freedoms.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a congratulatory cable to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his country’s Republic Day.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, sent similar messages of congratulations to the Turkish President on the occasion.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The mountainous areas have entered strongly in the list of the most important tourist attractions in the country during the past few years, and have become attractive destinations for investments, especially in light of the official attention they receive that contributed to improve the level of services and infrastructure in them.

Areas such as Hatta, Jebel Jais and Khorfakkan top the list of the most prominent mountain tourism centers in the country, where these three areas underwent unprecedented plans to transform them into new “tourist treasures” that joined the list of tourist areas in the country.

These areas provide unique advantages, especially at the onset of the tourist season in the country, where they usually witness an attractive climatic atmosphere in terms of low temperatures and rainfall, while the past five years have seen a real transformation in the level of services provided in them, depending on the strategic projects that they witnessed, starting with the extension of road networks that connect these areas with cities and emirates to the major projects that have been announced recently.

Over the past few years, the city of Hatta has turned into a tourist destination for visitors from different regions to enjoy its scenic natural sites such as mountains, the Hatta Dam and its lake, which provides the ideal atmosphere for camping, swimming and kayaking enthusiasts.

The Hatta Master Development Plan, which was launched in 2016, contributed to an increase of 15 times of tourists until last year with the number of visitors growing from 60,000 visitors in 2016 to more than one million visitors in 2020.The Plan also aims to transform Hatta into an attractive local and international destination for business, investment and tourism.

In August 2021, new projects were approved as part of the Hatta development plan. These projects include the establishment of 5.4km-long chairlifts, a Hatta sustainable waterfalls project, a hotel, and the construction of hiking trails to the highest peak in Dubai (Jebel Umm Al Nisour, at 1,300 metres). Hatta residents will also be allowed to build 200 holiday homes to support domestic tourism in district.

At 1,300 metres above sea level, Jebel Umm Al Nisour is the highest natural summit in Dubai. The cable car route passes over the Hatta Dam Lake and the Upper Dam Lake for the hydroelectric power station. The departure station will be built on an upper platform above the Hatta Dam.

The Hatta Sustainable Waterfalls project meanwhile will use the slope of the upper dam to create a natural waterfall. The water used in the waterfall will be collected at the end of the stream, recycled and pumped back to the top of the dam. Economic and tourism development programmes were also launched.

In the neighbouring emirate of Sharjah, the ambitious portfolio of development projects announced in the city of Khorfakkan, the city of wonderful nature, were included in the list of the most sought-after tourist areas.

Al Suhub Rest House project is one of a number of new attractions that Sharjah welcomed over the past few years. The new attraction centres around a distinctive circular structure, with a diameter of 30 metres. This incredible new hotspot in the mountains of Khorfakkan has fascinating architecture. The building’s design resembles a flying saucer. The built mountain-side rest stop that lies 600 meters above sea level, offers panoramic views across Khorfakkan. Apart from providing ample views of Khorfakkan, the project also included water fountains, beaches, a restaurant, parking spaces and other service amenities.

After driving up a 5.6-kilometre road towards the attraction, visitors will find two rest houses at heights of 233 metres and 480 metres, both offering sweeping views and service amenities.

Al Suhub Rest House, which was built on an area of 10,250 square meters, features a children’s play area of 541 square metres. The area surrounding the restroom was decorated with green spaces, where 8,700 trees were planted to add an aesthetic and healthy character to the area, in addition to providing 89 parking spaces.

The Rest House has turned into a focus that attracts visitors and tourists thanks to the luxury services it provides from restaurants, wonderful and safe play areas for children, in addition to the 730-meter walkway surrounded on all sides by tall palm trees and green plants. The Shees Park is one of the major projects that give wonderful recreational options in the city.

On the mountain range in Khorfakkan, Al Rafisah Dam added a charming scene to the area.

The summit of Jebel Jais in Ras Al Khaimah remains one of the most important tourist attractions at the local level due to its height of about 2 km and its charming view of the Hajar Mountains.

Jebel Jais boasts of its natural and environmental resources and capabilities that qualified it to be a destination for amateurs and professionals of mountaineering and adventure enthusiasts, as it includes the Guinness World Records-certified longest zip-line in the world whose track extends over a length of 2.83 km.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has invited people across the community of all ages and physical fitness levels to participate in the 5th edition of Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) and embrace an active lifestyle in order to make Dubai the most active city in the world.

Running from today to 27 November, the highly anticipated initiative promises a line-up worthy of the fifth edition, with thousands of free fitness events, activities, and classes across the city to help participants complete 30 minutes of daily activity for 30 days.

This year’s edition of DFC has come at a time when Dubai is hosting Expo 2020 and a series of other major international exhibitions and conferences, which are expected to attract a huge participation from citizens, residents and visitors keen to take advantage of the unlimited fitness activities available for everyone across the city.

This year’s action-packed calendar for DFC, will see a more diverse and inclusive range of fitness activities and events than ever before – with a focus on getting outdoors. Everyone of all ages and abilities will be able to enjoy Fitness Villages at Kite Beach, Expo 2020 Dubai and Mushrif Park; 14 Fitness Hubs in business and residential communities across the city; major sporting events, and over 5,000 free fitness classes. The signature Dubai Ride on 5 November and Dubai Run on 26 November will both return to Sheikh Zayed Road with families taking part alongside recreational and professional runners and cyclists for these two coveted events.

The 2021 edition of DFC will see the addition of the Dubai Padel Cup for the very first time. The full programme has been designed to give everyone the opportunity to experience the sport, and includes free coaching and clinic sessions for beginners, amateur padel league competitions, as well as the exhilarating tournament for Padel Club professionals. A padel court will also be available at the Kite Beach Fitness Village to use for free during DFC.

Everyone can register for the challenge at www.dubaifitnesschallenge.com and show their commitment to a more active lifestyle. For those not sure where to start, the “Find Your 30” section features workout programmes, health and fitness vlogs, nutritious recipes, podcasts, virtual classes, articles about keeping fit and lots more.

DFC is committed to creating a safe environment for everyone to be active. To ensure the safety of all participants, all activities will comply with COVID-19 regulations and social distancing mandates. Participants are encouraged to follow guidelines around their own safety equipment such as wearing masks when in public spaces.

Source: Emirates News Agency