Day: July 3, 2022

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Latest phase of Dubai Destinations campaign kicks off

Dubai, The latest phase of the #DubaiDestinations campaign, focused on highlighting the city’s exceptional summer experiences, has kicked off, inviting local and international audiences to enjoy an epic summer in the emirate.

Running till the end of August, the new campaign encourages residents and travellers to discover the city’s diverse leisure, dining, adventure and family-friendly activities that make Dubai a one-of-a-kind summer destination.

Aligned with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the world’s best city to live and visit, the #DubaiDestinations initiative was launched in December 2021.

The start of the latest phase of the campaign was marked by the release of two interactive #DubaiDestinations summer guides focused on children’s activities. The first guide lists a vast range of indoor destinations for children and adults who want to rediscover their inner child. From having breakfast with penguins and riding on giant rollercoasters to painting up a storm in art cafes, the activities featured in the guide offer something for all children.

The list covers activities offered at 115 destinations spread across malls, retail complexes, theme parks, beaches and esplanades, among other locations, making it a handy reference for families to plan their leisure activities during the Eid-Al-Adha holidays and the rest of the summer season.

A total of 20 theme parks and 28 retail complexes are covered by the guide. The second guide features a list of around 40 exciting summer camps for children that will enable them to challenge themselves, forge new friendships and pick up a new skills. The release of the guides coincides with the start of school summer holidays.

Available in both English and Arabic, the guides can be accessed on Brand Dubai’s digital platforms including its website www.branddubai.ae, and its Instagram account @branddubai.

Shaima Al Suwaidi, Director of Brand Dubai, the creative arm of the Government of Dubai Media Office, said: “The latest phase of the #DubaiDestinations campaign invites local and global audiences to explore the unique destinations, hidden gems and exciting activities that make the emirate one of the world’s most popular destinations. We are releasing a series of interactive guides designed to help people learn more about Dubai’s top-rated experiences during the summer. The campaign is being implemented by Brand Dubai in cooperation with other government entities, industry stakeholders from both the public and private sector and the creative media community. We seek to tap the power of collaborative storytelling to further raise Dubai’s profile as the world’s best place to live and visit.”

Top summer attractions in Dubai include indoor theme parks like IMG Worlds of Adventure and Dubai Parks and Resorts, where the entire family can go on adrenalin-pumping thrill rides, meet their favourite superheroes and cartoon characters, get up close and personal with dinosaurs and mythical creatures, and splash their way through water slides and tunnels, in addition to enjoying live entertainment, delectable food and play areas.

This summer, children also wouldn’t want to miss out on Modesh World, one of the region’s best summer indoor entertainment facilities, offering a multitude of activities catering to families and children featuring new Modesh and Dana experiences including mall appearances, stage shows and much more.

For those looking to enjoy the natural world in an indoor location, the Dubai Butterfly Garden, the “world’s largest covered butterfly garden” gives children the opportunity to spend time in climate-controlled domes housing 15,000 butterflies of over 50 varieties.

Other popular destinations covered by the guide include the Dubai Indoor Kartdrome Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and the Dubai Dolphinarium.

Upcoming #DubaiDestinations guides, set to be released later during the campaign, will help people discover many attractions in the emirate covering exciting summer and weekend activities, seaside dining options, and other businesses running exciting programmes during the season.

Brand Dubai will be partnering with several content creators and influencers to develop videos and promotional content that highlight the top activities, experiences and events in the city and where to find them. The latest phase of the #DubaiDestinations campaign coincides with the Dubai Summer Surprises.

The campaign is being rolled out over digital, broadcast, print and outdoor media to ensure it reaches large sections of local and international audiences.

Key partners in the #DubaiDestinations campaign include: the Department of Economy and Tourism in Dubai; Dubai Municipality; the Roads and Transport Authority; the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Dubai Sports Council; Dubai Ladies Club; Emaar; Dubai Holding; Nakheel Properties; Majid Al Futtaim Group; and Merex Investment Office.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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UAE leaders condole with Iranian president over quake victims

ABU DHABI, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today sent a cable of condolences to President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, over the 6.00 magnitude earthquake that struck the village of Sayeh Khosh, southern Iran, killing five people and injuring 44.

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed expressed his sympathies and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, sent a similar cable of condolences to the Iranian president.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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UAE leaders congratulate Belarusian President on Independence Day

ABU DHABI, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Aleksandr Lukashenko of the Republic of Belarus, on the occasion of his country’s Independence Day.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, also sent similar messages to President Lukashenko and Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Belarus.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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UAE Circular Economy Council approves 22 policies to expedite progress of circular economy transition

DUBAI, The UAE Circular Economy Council convened its second meeting of 2022, presided over by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment.

The meeting drew the participation of high-level representatives of various government and private sector entities from across the UAE. These included Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy; Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Teleworking Applications; Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO of Alliances for Global Sustainability; Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology; Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.

The participants also included Dawood Al Hajri, Director-General of Dubai Municipality; Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi, Director-General of the Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman; Essa Al Hashmi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment; Yousif Al Ali, Assistant Under-Secretary for Electricity, Water and Future Energy at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure; Khaled Al Huraimel, CEO of Bee’ah; Laila Mostafa Abdullatif, Director-General of Emirates Nature-WWF; and Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi, Chief Sustainability Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Holding.

The Council approved 22 policies proposed by its subsidiary, the Circular Economy Policies Committee, that focus on accelerating the implementation of the circular economy model in the UAE in four main sectors – manufacturing, food, infrastructure, and transport.

The Council also identified at least 16 circular economy activities that open a wealth of opportunities for businesses, such as upcycling textile waste into new products, developing automated AI-enabled waste management solutions, and remanufacturing electronic waste.

“With the cabinet’s approval of the UAE Circular Economy Policy in January 2021, we have embarked on an ambitious and important mission to transition from a linear model to a circular economy approach. Our current linear economy consumes valuable materials and resources without being able to benefit from them after use, which represents waste in the modern concept of sustainability. Our approach seeks to protect our environment and to ensure the long-term economic and social prosperity of our country,” Almheiri said.

“Many key stakeholders in the UAE have already started to embrace circular economy principles. We at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and at the Ministry of Economy have been engaging with them and others to gain valuable information and insights about ways of facilitating the transition to a circular economy,” she added.

The Minister noted that 45 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions result from producing cars, clothes, food, and other products used every day. This demonstrates the great potential that lays in circular economy, which can complement the emission reduction and mitigate the current climate crisis.

For his part, Minister Abdullah Al Marri, who also heads the Council’s Circular Economy Policies Committee, noted that the Committee recently held intensive workshops and meetings with the government and private sectors as well as international partners. The workshops were designed to support the implementation of the UAE Circular Economy Policy in four key sectors – manufacturing, green infrastructure, transportation, and food production and consumption – as well as the 22 new policies issued to drive the UAE’s overall transition to a circular economy.

“These policies will contribute to addressing all challenges the private sector is facing in its shift to a circular economy and support the country’s green development drive. The initiatives align with the directives of our wise leadership to fast-track the country’s transition to a circular economy as one of the sustainability, flexibility, and growth drivers of the new economic model as per the Principles of the 50.

“The Committee continues its efforts to implement the UAE Circular Economy Policy 2021-2031 through programmes and projects that are set to attract investments to this field and expand its infrastructure. Efforts are also being exerted to establish a circular economy database, in addition to offering incentives to encourage the private sector to shift towards clean production methods, thereby enhancing the UAE’s competitiveness as one of the leading circular economies regionally and globally,” he stated.

After a brief on the progress of current circular economy projects in the UAE and startups’ insights, Anis Nassar from the World Economic Forum (WEF) updated Council members on the Scale360 initiative. The initiative brings together global partners to scale up the use of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies with the aim of fast-tracking the adoption of the circular economy principles.

The meeting agenda also featured an overview of Bee’ah’s efforts to implement a circular economy model in its operations as well as a presentation on the Abu Dhabi Emirate Single Use Plastic Policy that came into force on 1st June, 2022.

Approved in January 2021, the UAE Circular Economy Policy identifies the optimal approach to the country’s transition to a circular economy. Its objectives include building a sustainable economy, promoting efficient use of natural resources, encouraging the private sector to shift to cleaner industrial production methods that involve the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and other 4IR technologies, and adopting sustainable consumption and production patterns that reduce environmental stress while meeting the basic needs of the population.

The UAE Circular Economy Council comprises 17 representatives of relevant federal and local government entities, private sector businesses, and international organisations.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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Maltese trade mission to visit UAE in mid-September 2022

DUBAI, Humaid Mohammed bin Salem, Secretary-General of the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), and Maria Camilleri Calleja, Ambassador of Malta to the UAE, have met to discuss the preparations for the visit of the Maltese trade mission to the country in mid-September.

The visit aims to seize investment opportunities in the UAE and Malta and strengthen cooperation and trade and investment partnerships across the private sector.

During the meeting, Bin Salem underscored the importance of implement the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the FCCI and the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry last January and broadening the horizons of partnerships with the private sector, expressing the FCCI’s readiness to make the visit a success by developing a joint programme in coordination with all member chambers in the UAE.

For her part, the Maltese Ambassador lauded the UAE-Malta relations, and highlighted the objectives of the Maltese trade delegation’s visit, which include learning about the advantages and incentives that the UAE offers to attract investments across industrial innovation and advanced technology. She also called on UAE-based private entities to explore partnership opportunities in these sectors with their Maltese counterparts.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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DIHAD Foundation, Axios International partner to provide medical supplies globally

DUBAI, DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation has signed an agreement with Axios International establishing a partnership as part of their ForeverCare Initiative to promote philanthropy and humanitarian work.

The agreement promotes their joint efforts to assist those in need by providing them with the necessary medicines, which boost their chances of a better and more speedy recovery.

The landmark agreement aligns with the UAE’s approach for humanitarian efforts aimed at providing treatment to patients in need via sustainable solutions, and ensure stability of charity work in the medical field.

The agreement provides for cooperation to exchange expertise in the humanitarian field between the two parties and to spread awareness regarding the importance of providing medicine to countries in need. It is also designed to provide medicines, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid through its network of specialists in the field.

Ambassador Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Roving Ambassador for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean for the GCC and Chairman of DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation, stated, “This agreement comes as an effort by DIHAD Sustainable Humanitarian Foundation to strengthen formal and fraternal ties between various humanitarian and health sectors through the ForeverCare Initiative, which provides medicine, medical supplies, and many other forms of humanitarian assistance to countries annually. Our aim is to improve access to innovative treatment and medicines for low-income communities around the world, especially for those who cannot afford treatment for their illness.”

Al Madani added, “This agreement will also help identify the challenges facing the medical and pharmaceutical sectors in general, and work to find appropriate solutions and advanced mechanisms of action in accordance with global standards, which is an excellent example of partnerships between different sectors that show a joint commitment towards enhanced patient care. This will help to provide wider access to innovative medication for those who are affected, ultimately giving them greater hope for a better life.”

The ForeverCare Initiative, which collects medicines and medical supplies from companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers to provide them to countries in need, was launched during the 18th edition of the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference & Exhibition (DIHAD).

ForeverCare is organised in cooperation with the Dubai International Pharmaceutical & Technologies Conference & Exhibition – DUPHAT, and in partnership with the Waterfalls Initiative for Continuous Education from the UAE to the World.

Source: Emirates News Agency