Day: June 9, 2022

SHARJAH, The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) recently discussed various ways to develop economic cooperation and trade relations, as well as promote mutual investments, with the Emirate of Sharjah and the UAE private business communities with two high-level official delegations from the Republic of Costa Rica and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

Both delegations were also briefed about the Chamber’s operations and the nature of the services it provides to the local business community.

They were also informed about SCCI’s role in keeping pace with the emirate’s economic development.

During the meeting, Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), met with Francisco J. Chacón, Ambassador of the Republic of Costa Rica in the UAE, in the presence of Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al Awadi, Director-General, SCCI.

The discussion reviewed potential prospects for economic cooperation and partnership between the Emirate of Sharjah and the Republic of Costa Rica, while shedding light on the importance of enhancing mutual investment and future economic activities between the two countries.

Furthermore, Al Owais met with Aklilu Kebede Erena, Consul General of Ethiopia in Dubai and the Northern Regions, during which both sides expressed their desire to strengthen all forms of economic relations between the Emirate of Sharjah and Ethiopia, as well as to reinforce economic activities and investment projects that will increase trade exchange and future opportunities.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation (EOCN) held a workshop, in partnership with the US Embassy, with the participation of the US State Department’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) and the US Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office.

The workshop, which is part of a series of workshops and training and qualification programmes on export control, covered the investigation methods for countering the illicit circulation of dual-use goods used in the production or development of weapons and related technologies.

The workshop also aimed to increase the awareness of its participants about international resources and the best investigation methods, as well as international cooperation in cross-border strategic goods and trade controls.

During the event, Talal Al Tunaiji, Director of EOCN, said that international cooperation plays a key role in the exchange of expertise in monitoring exports, with relevant authorities always seeking to utilise this by establishing communication channels, underscoring the UAE’s keenness to promote international cooperation in addressing the proliferation and financing of weapons of mass destruction and combatting terrorism and extremism, as well as implementing the best practices in this field, as stated in United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution No. 1540 of 2004.

In his speech, Al Tunaiji commended the leading role of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) in regulating the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

During the two-day workshop, a group of experts and specialists from the ISN and HSI Office talked about the best practices in securing the transportation of strategic dual-use goods, which raised the level of awareness of all supervisory and regulatory authorities in terms of detecting, intercepting and verifying unauthorised transfers of components, materials and technologies that could be used in the development of conventional and non-conventional weapons and related transnational crimes.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, “The Future of Knowledge: A Foresight Report” released by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has outlined four recommendations for policymakers to support countries in developing their collaborative and innovative capabilities.

These recommendations also serve as guidelines for executing deep structural repairs that address the current challenges and gaps in their development approach and aim to help achieve higher readiness levels in the face of challenges and risks.

The four recommendations seek to establish a national framework and implement it with the participation of several stakeholders to achieve the sustainable development goals, prioritising skills as the most critical component of human capital in the future. Furthermore, they focus on utilising methods of planning scenarios along with foreseeing the future to identify solutions in the face of risks. A collaborative approach by stakeholders within and among the countries is also necessary.

The report indicates that the world is witnessing a critical transformation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery efforts. This is the right time for countries to take steps and make bold, transformative decisions, to recover and achieve sustainable and inclusive development as per the 2030 Agenda. The report also points out that the countries’ transformative capabilities are slowly improving, despite the worldwide disruptions caused by the pandemic.

Moreover, the report finds that developing countries’ transformative capabilities and the strengthening of their resilience call for a fundamental change in how business is being conducted. Without this, all steps and procedures will be constrained and unable to invest the full capacity of the knowledge infrastructure, leaving countries and societies vulnerable to the severe negative effects of any future disturbances or challenges in health, environment, and technology.

The report also reveals that risk mitigation depends mainly on government agencies and the private sector seeking to enhance the policy and legislative environment, as well as benefit from research, development, innovation, and science, to confront health, environmental and technological risks.

Other areas such as education, technology and future skills should not be ignored either, especially when facing threats and risks. The report points out that the fields of education, technology and future skills have benefitted from the post-pandemic transformation, as governments have increasingly directed their focus towards developing the workforce the skills and preparing them to face challenges.

In addition, the report emphasises the need for more efforts to enhance transformative capabilities globally and ensure that countries work to develop their sustainable capabilities and integrate them into their systems to better face challenges. It also recognises that the planet is going through a crisis, and the world must reconsider its previous assumptions that change is impossible or too costly. Therefore, additional resources must be mobilised to develop the knowledge environment and skills system.

MBRF and the UNDP released the third edition of the report in March, during the seventh edition of the Knowledge Summit, which was held at Expo 2020 Dubai. The report is a leading analytical study that reviews the future knowledge landscape and the differences between countries’ transformative capabilities in relation to major global risks based on big data to provide new insights into countries’ readiness to face risks and support national leaders in ensuring it.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan on the occasion of his Accession to the Throne Day.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, also dispatched a similar message to King Abdullah.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a multi-event traffic outreach campaign in collaboration with a host of strategic partners. The campaign, which is focused on pedestrian safety and targets motorists, workers and students, is launched under the theme ‘Because Your Life is Precious, Cross Safely.’

Maitha bin Adai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency, RTA, said, “This pedestrian safety campaign is one of four outreach campaigns that RTA has planned for this year, 2022, in collaboration with several strategic partners including the Ministry of Education, Dubai Police, Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs, and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. The campaign is sponsored by the Emirates General Petroleum Corporation (Emarat) and Almarai Company.”

“The campaign aims to reduce the number of traffic-related fatalities and injuries and improve the traffic safety indicators in Dubai. It constitutes part of the targets of the Dubai traffic safety strategy upon which awareness programmes oriented to community members are planned. Pedestrian safety is a priority for the awareness efforts of several stakeholders across the UAE. As such, this campaign targets a wide spectrum of community segments such as workers, motorists and students,” she noted.

“The campaign includes messages that urge motorists to respect the rights of pedestrians to cross the roads, tips to workers cautioning them against crossing roads in places other than designated for crossing, and guidance to students about the compliance with traffic safety rules when boarding or leaving vehicles or crossing roads. These messages will be broadcasted on radios, displayed on outdoor signage and social media, and showcased in events held at workplaces and accommodations of workers. Awareness leaflets will be distributed to motorists at public parking areas urging them to give way to pedestrians and respect their right to cross the road, and slow down when approaching school zones,” added Bin Adai.

The campaign includes delivering educative lectures to workers of mega-companies and broadcasting video targeting workers through several online platforms and field events. The QR code of the film has been printed in 10,000 gifts (vouchers distributed) to workers during field events held in full compliance with the Covid-19 safety protocols.

Commenting on the engineering and technical procedures, Bin Adai said, “The Traffic and Roads Agency has a comprehensive plan covering all pedestrian safety requirements. It includes designing and installing pedestrian bridges, which will increase to 138 bridges by the end of 2022, and installing speed-calming devices along with crossings and cautionary signs, especially in run-over spots or frequent cross points. It also aims to ensure the safety of pedestrians within school zones and streets nearby parks, mosques and others. “

The Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs in Dubai considers the health and safety of workers’ environment part of its priorities. Therefore, it has lent support to the campaign in collaboration with the strategic partners of RTA and Dubai Police. The Committee is coordinating with partners to chart out a roadmap for the safety of pedestrians at pedestrian crossing points and movement areas between areas under construction.

The campaign will be launched in several languages mainly Arabic, Hindu, Urdu and English.

Source: Emirates News Agency