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MOCCAE to cooperate with Turkish Ministry of Agriculture in developing agricultural sector

DUBAI, The UAE, represented by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Turkey, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, to step up cooperation in agriculture, rural development, and adoption of modern farming systems.

The agreement aligns with the strategic direction of the UAE leadership to enhance international cooperation and exchange of successful experiences with the aim of strengthening the country’s capabilities to face all challenges and building a better, more sustainable future.

The MoU was signed by Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, and Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Republic of Turkey.

Speaking on the new partnership, Minister Almheiri said, “MOCCAE is keen to build bridges of cooperation with the concerned authorities in other countries as part of its efforts to achieve the country’s goals in food security, environmental protection, and climate action. The agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey focuses on the development of the agricultural sector and identifying innovative solutions that strengthen our food security by employing technology, adopting modern climate-smart agricultural systems, increasing food production, and ensuring the continuity of supply chains.”

“Sharing knowledge and best practices between our two countries, who rely on innovation to deal with challenges, will help us build sustainable food systems and meet our food security targets. We look forward to cooperating with our counterparts in Turkey, and are confident this partnership will bring us mutual benefits,” she added.

For his part, Bekir Pakdemirli said, “I hope that the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture, which we signed today within the scope of our President’s visit, will be beneficial for the two countries. I sincerely believe that our cooperation will go further on this occasion. We are ready to work harder to improve our economic and agricultural relations.”

Areas of cooperation include agricultural pest control and plant protection, organic agriculture, technology-based agricultural production, food safety, food production, food and livestock trade, as well as animal production and health.

The two countries will also collaborate in agricultural research, the use of modern technology and techniques to boost food security, promotion of joint agricultural ventures between their private sectors, and development of specialised agricultural zones.

To ensure the achievement of the MoU’s objectives, the two parties agreed to establish a joint agricultural steering committee to supervise the implementation.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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CDA volunteer activities up by 71.4% in 2021

DUBAI, The Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai announced that the number of registered entities that are part of its volunteering programme rose by 69.3 percent in 2021, compared to 2020.

The authority highlighted its awareness of the importance of benefitting from volunteer work, improving economic performance and enhancing its social contributions, which led to a rise in volunteering activities by 71.4 percent in 2021 compared to 2020.

She then pointed out that the last two years have witnessed an increase in volunteer activities in community work or social services, underscoring the major importance of volunteering to promote social solidarity.

In 2021, 5,852 volunteers joined the Dubai Volunteering Programme, a rise of 44.35 percent compared to 2020, when 4,054 volunteers joined the programme, taking the total number of volunteers in the programme to 36,310.

Ahmed Lootah, Director of the Social Cohesion Department at the Authority, said the gradual return to normalcy from the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the increase in the number of activities and events in various sectors. There is a remarkable rise in awareness of the importance of volunteer work and the need to invest it in the social and economic sectors.

Financial savings resulted from the volunteering hours reached AED 25,328,550 in 2021, a growth of 12 compared to 2020, he added.

The programme registered 324,725 volunteering hours in 2021, an increase of 12 percent compared to 2020. Volunteering activities organised by government agencies accounted for the largest share of activities last year, followed by the activities of social volunteer teams, he concluded.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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Noura Al Kaabi visits Cambodia, Cuba Pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai

ABU DHABI, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, has visited the Cambodia and Cuba Pavilions at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Cambodia Pavilion is located in the Sustainability District and depicts the Angkor Wat temples complex. It also displays life-size models of the historical temple guards, with a brief about their legendary lives, and the eternal war between demons and gods, according to ancient beliefs.

The Cambodian team took Minister Al Kaabi on a tour of the three sections of the Cambodia Pavilion. The first section of the pavilion takes the visitors on a historical tour of the temples of Cambodia.

The second section is a virtual walkway to one of Cambodia’s most famous beaches, supported by the roaring of the waves that hit the feet. It uses the Expo 2020 Dubai to attract tourists wishing to enjoy nature and go on a journey of leisure and meditation. The pavilion recreates the sights and sounds of the tourist attractions of Cambodia to give a glimpse of the beautiful country to the Expo visitors.

The third section features a hall with Cambodian heritage, and displays tools used in agriculture and cooking. Visitors can also see a robe made of silk and gold threads, worth US$10,000. The handmade robe made for the kings, their wives and wealthy people in the olden days in Cambodia is kept inside a glass box for safekeeping.

Al Kaabi also visited the Pavilion of the Republic of Cuba, which is located in the Sustainability District. She walked through the pavilion that recreates the vibrant and colourful Cuban streets and listened to a description of some of the specialities on display.

The Cuba Pavilion also showcases the key industries of the South American nation, focusing on sugarcane, a raw material used in many industries.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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UAEU Council holds 3rd meeting

AL AIN, Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to the President of the UAE and Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), chaired the UAEU Council meeting Wednesday.

The Chancellor informed the Council that the UAEU Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai continued to attract considerable interest.

The Council received a report on the University’s performance against key indicators. It was further briefed on the processes employed by the Executive Leadership to align the UAEU’s strategy with the ten national principles that have been set to guide the UAE’s political, economic and social development for the next 50 years.

The Council considered the new Federal Law and governance provisions related to UAEU and the other federal universities. Within this, it took note of provisions that are of particular importance to the University’s mode of operation.

The Council welcomed a report from the Executive Leadership on the arrangements in place for the upcoming visit of the Western Senior College and University Commission of the United States to the UAEU. The visit is an integral part of WSCUC’s continuing accreditation of UAEU.

Dr. Abdulla Al Karam, Chair of the Council’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee, briefed the Council with the outcomes of the ongoing programme of work.

In pursuit of its responsibilities for fiduciary oversight of the UAEU, the Council accepted a report on the University’s financial performance in 2021 and the themes set for its budget in 2022. The Council was also presented with explanation of the new student funding model.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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DP World announces availability of CARGOES Flow, global supply chain visibility platform

DUBAI, DP World on Tuesday announced that CARGOES Flow – an end-to-end visibility platform for tracking intermodal shipments across the sea, air, and land – is now widely available.

CARGOES Flow is a one-stop-shop supply chain solution that provides end-to-end visibility for shipments irrespective of their shipping modes, carriers, and shipping lanes.

The platform, which requires no setup, features an intuitive, easy to use interface that allows users to gain insight into their supply chain and better manage productivity, planning, cost optimisation, and overall business performance.

Operating in the cloud, CARGOES Flow provides real-time intelligence on the status of active and completed shipments on a single, dedicated platform.

The key features of the platform include business intelligence – a dashboard highlighting key insights and trends of ongoing shipments, with key metrics and charts front and centre to identify potential inefficiencies and optimisation opportunities, also multi-level dashboard – a world map view of all active shipments and their current locations, including exceptions and alerts colour coded for easy interpretation.

Lastly, partner collaboration – facilitated collaboration among business partners through document sharing, tracking data sharing, and email notifications.

Mike Bhaskaran, Chief Operating Officer – Logistics and Technology at DP World, said, “Today’s end-to-end supply chain can be enormously complex, comprising numerous stakeholders, endpoints, and legacy siloed environments. We see CARGOES Flow as a direct challenge to that status quo, helping our customers consolidate their supply chain operations to ensure their logistics can freely operate with accuracy, efficiency, and interoperability without hindrance.”

Pradeep Desai, Chief Technology Officer – Group Technology at DP World, stated, “Predictive and real-time visibility are key drivers for better customer experience and operational efficiency in the supply chain. CARGOES Flow provides shippers & service providers visibility over their intermodal shipments by intelligently aggregating and analysing data from various sources, providing a unique experience that is unparalleled in Today’s market.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

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Better nutrition and resilient, sustainable agri-food systems among key priorities at Expo 2020 Dubai’s penultimate Theme Week

DUBAI, Expo 2020 Dubai’s Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods Week, from 17th to 23rd February, will unite change-makers, innovators and stakeholders from across the global food value chain to spotlight food systems that are more productive, more inclusive of poor and marginalised populations, environmentally sustainable and resilient, and deliver healthy and nutritious diets for all.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the vulnerability of global food systems, with resilient food systems lying at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, which call for major transformations in food systems to end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition by 2030.

With this in mind, the Theme Week, held in collaboration with Expo 2020, the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and PepsiCo, the Official Beverage and Snack Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, will feature numerous expert panel discussions, including the Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods Business Forum (21st February) and flagship event Good Food for All (20th February), both at Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo 2020 Dubai.

Spotlights on Africa | Climate-Resilient Solutions for Greater Food Security in the Sahel (22nd February), raises awareness on the challenges and opportunities in Africa’s Sahel region regarding climate action and food security efforts. It will also showcase the Great Green Wall initiative, alongside other climate change and food security-focused projects led by youth, women, smallholders, herders and social entrepreneurs.

Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Director-General, Expo 2020 Dubai, said, “As an unassailable pillar of human dignity, food security has always been a priority for the UAE and its leadership, anchored in our Bedouin roots long before the nation was founded 50 years ago. Indeed, the way we cultivate food through our interconnected agriculture systems, against a backdrop of an ever-expanding global population, must also honour our shared duty to preserve and protect our planet – seeking out an equitable system that rewards responsible and productive practices, while protecting lands and the communities that call them home.”

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, said, “Enhancing food security and addressing related challenges should be at the front and centre of the world’s agenda. Despite global hunger eradication efforts, 2020 saw between 720 and 811 million people facing hunger, highlighting the urgent need to transform our food systems into resilient and sustainable ones to feed the fast-growing global population. Expo 2020 Dubai’s Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods Week provides an ideal platform to spur the conversation, source solutions from stakeholders across the global food value chain, and help put the world back on track to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger by 2030.”

Eugene Willemsen, Chief Executive Officer, Africa, Middle East, South Asia at PepsiCo, said, “As a global food and beverage company that does business in more than 200 countries and territories and uses more than 25 crops sourced from 60 different countries, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to leverage our size and global scale to help build a more sustainable food system; one that preserves the planet and positively impacts the people and communities we work with and serve. We are proud to take positive steps, as part of our PepsiCo Positive (pep+) framework, towards tackling the global hunger crisis and helping to create a more sustainable future for all.”

Speakers across the week’s extensive programme also include Andres Valenciano, Minister of Foreign Trade, Costa Rica; Natasa Pilides, Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Cyprus, and Damien O’Connor, Minister of Agriculture, and Minister for Trade and Export Growth, New Zealand Government.

Alongside Willemsen, others set to feature include Cristina Bowerman, world-renowned chef at Michelin Star restaurant Glass Hostaria in Rome, TedX speaker and author; Nigel Hughes, Senior Vice President, Global Innovation and Research and Development, Kellogg Company, and Enock Chikava, Deputy Director, Agricultural Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Full details and timings for Food, Agriculture and Livelihoods Week, including ways to tune into events remotely via Virtual Expo, are available here.

This is the ninth of ten Theme Weeks held throughout the six months of Expo 2020 Dubai, forming part of the Programme for People and Planet, as an exchange of inspiring new perspectives to address the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time.

Source: Emirates News Agency