Category: News

Riyadh, Four key sessions were part of the Health Tourism Future Forum held here between April 28 and 30.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Health and co-organized by the Health Tourism Club and the Health Tourism Association in partnership with the Global Healthcare Travel Council, the forum delves into strategies to position Saudi Arabia as a global health tourism hub.

The opening day explored a range of topics, including Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the country’s potential to become a health tourism destination, emerging trends in global health tourism and patient expectations, best practices and growth strategies for medical tourism, and leveraging technology to enhance the patient experience.

The forum aims to increase the Kingdom’s role in regional and global health tourism, ultimately establishing it as a leading destination in the Middle East and beyond.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Riyadh, Prince Saud bin Turki bin Faisal, Advisor to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, attended the first annual meeting of the Saudi Leadership Society Council (SLS) on behalf of Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz. The meeting, hosted by the Mohammed Bin Salman Foundation (Misk), celebrated the graduates of the “Leaders 2030” program and the Misk Fellowship program. It was attended by several princes, ministers, and members of the Board of Directors of Misk.

The first annual meeting of SLS included the graduation of leaders from the third and fourth batches of the “Leaders 2030” program and the announcement of their joining the council. The council aims to form an exceptional community comprising the elite of ambitious leaders, harnessing the diversity of its members to enhance cooperation, achieve growth, and create mutual impact. Additionally, it seeks to encourage its members to become leaders in positive change, reflecting on realizing
progress and leadership of the Kingdom, enhancing its global status, directing efforts towards achieving the Saudi Vision 2030, and opening new horizons for sustainable growth and positive impact.

SLS seeks to provide an empowering and dynamic environment to enhance the impact of future leaders’ participation in several key objectives derived from the Saudi Vision 2030, thus playing an important role in shaping influential leaders in the future.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

Jericho – Together – Hussein Hamayel, Governor of Jericho and the Jordan Valley, emphasized the role of civil defense and integrated teamwork that contributes to reducing losses and protecting citizens and property.

This came during the governor’s reception with the Director General of Civil Defense, Major General Al-Abd Ibrahim Al-Khalil, on Monday, at the governorate headquarters, in the presence of local authorities, businessmen, establishment owners, and representatives of the industrial zone.

Hamayel added that the governorate and various security agencies and civil and civil institutions worked and are working in cooperation with the Civil Defense Directorate in emergency circumstances. This was demonstrated during the fire in the industrial zone several days ago, as everyone worked to support civil defense efforts.

In turn, Major General Al-Abd spoke about the readiness of the Civil Defense in the West Bank governorates and its readiness for any emergency, pointing to the constant endeavor to develo
p the capabilities of the Civil Defense with the aim of reducing risks, enhancing community awareness, and raising the level of citizens’ dealings with fire emergencies and other emergency circumstances.

Major General Al-Abd stressed that the Civil Defense Foundation is the institution for all Palestinians that protects and preserves the health and safety of our people

The meeting with local authorities discussed the need to tighten the procedures of the Public Safety Committee to protect the lives and property of citizens.

At the end of the meeting, the Governor and Major General Al-Abd, in the name of President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), thanked the businessman, Mr. Eid Al-Muslimani, who donated two civil defense vehicles at his own expense.

Source: Maan News Agency

Gaza – together – in light of the most difficult circumstances that are going on in the Gaza Strip, the loss of the normal course of daily life, and the ongoing aggression against the Strip, which has cast a bad shadow on all aspects of life, which begin from the loss of the right to life to the loss of the right to housing, food, security and safety.

More than two million and 200 thousand Gazans are living in catastrophic conditions and a constant threat, in addition to a real famine caused by the Israeli occupation in its recent war on the Gaza Strip, in light of extremely difficult humanitarian conditions and an ambiguous political horizon. Today, the responsibility is on humanity within Palestine and the entire world to stop the war first and protect lives. Palestinians from death in its various forms, due to diseases, hunger and thirst.

International and humanitarian organizations sought to launch a number of kitchen and hospice initiatives in an attempt to reduce the enormous food need experienced by
the residents of the Gaza Strip. These initiatives worked in light of the limited basic materials for cooking, under the strict occupation restrictions, and in introducing food aid.

These kitchens and hospices are considered one of the main places that citizens in Gaza resort to to obtain their daily meals. The role of international humanitarian organizations has emerged during the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, especially the World Food Organization, the Central Food Kitchen, and many other institutions that have worked through international support. The role of the Palestinian private sector was clearly demonstrated in this file through the ‘Gaza Pride Kitchens’ established by the Palestinian Telecommunications Company and PADICO, which worked to provide thousands of hot meals daily, prepared from what is available from the local market in Gaza, where they are served to citizens in the center and north of the Strip.

In the same context, many academics and economic experts believe that the Palestinia
n private sector’s tendency to focus its social responsibility on meeting the needs of the residents of the Gaza Strip; It is an urgent moral necessity in responding to the country’s crises, and perhaps the experience of communications and PADICO is an example of what Palestinian institutions can provide to Gaza in this humanitarian catastrophe.

Source: Maan News Agency

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) emphasized the importance of the strategic and growing partnership between the Council and the United States aimed at enhancing peace, security, stability, integration, and economic prosperity in the region.

GCC Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed Al Budaiwi said in a statement today that the joint ministerial meeting of the GCC-US strategic partnership, held in Riyadh under the chairmanship of HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, President of the current session of the Ministerial Council, discussed all international and regional issues of mutual interest. He affirmed the Gulf States’ stance on the necessity of achieving an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, halting all Israeli military operations, ensuring the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law, and lifting all restrictions hindering the entry of humanitarian aid and essential needs into the sector.

At the s
ame time, he reiterated the strong rejection of any attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land, as well as escalating violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, including settlement expansion, land confiscation, military operations against Palestinians, settler attacks, and the siege of places of worship for Muslims and Christians.

He reiterated the GCC’s steadfast support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state based on the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. He called on the international community to take irreversible steps to implement the two-state solution, recognize the State of Palestine, and enable the Palestinian people to exercise their basic and legitimate rights in accordance with United Nations resolutions and international law. He stressed the UN Security Council’s responsibility for maintaining in
ternational peace and security, particularly in this highly sensitive region, to prevent the crisis from escalating further, which would have severe consequences if its scope were to expand.

Source: Qatar News Agency

DUBAI: The Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation (MBRCGI) honoured the winners of the fourth cycle of Pitch@Gov, organised in partnership with the Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF).

The two projects are Rashid Al Zaabi’s “Katateeb” project on family values in the Internet age challenge and Aminata Ndiaye’s “Takkul” project on sustainability in digital transformation.

“Katateeb” is a metaverse platform created to educate young Emiratis on the traditional customs and values of the UAE, while the “Takkul” platform is committed to addressing the critical issue of food waste in the MENA region.

The Pitch@Gov competition is set to become a sustainable government initiative to foster collaboration between government entities, private sector organisations, entrepreneurs, and innovators to promote a culture of innovation in the UAE.

This year’s cycle adopted the sustainability in digital transformation theme to support the directives of the UAE’s leadership in the “Year of Sustainability”.
Over its past cycles, the competition welcomed 1000+ participations and 100+ presentations, culminating in the honouring of ten winners from the top innovators in the UAE.

Huda AlHashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, stated that, over four years, Pitch@Gov has presented a supporting platform for every innovator who seeks to turn their ideas into a project or an innovative solution for current or future challenges. “The joint initiative between the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation and the Mohammed bin Rashid Innovation Fund successfully attracted hundreds of ideas that were evaluated and supported by the competition,” she added.

“This year’s cycle focuses on sustainability in digital transformation, in line with the directives of the UAE’s leadership in the Year of Sustainability, and their future vision based on promoting sustainable and comprehensive digital transformation in various fields,” she noted.

Younis Haji Al Khoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry
of Finance, highlighted that the competition exemplifies the essence of collaborative innovation by bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise to address pressing social challenges.

He said, “The winning projects showcase the creativity and dedication of our entrepreneurs and innovators in addressing the challenges of ‘family values in the internet age’ and ‘sustainability in digital transformation’, aligning seamlessly with the UAE’s vision. By empowering these visionaries with resources and support through the MBRIF Innovation Accelerator programme, we catalyse their potential to shape the future of our economy and society. We welcome them into the programme and will continue to support their mission of innovation for the benefit of the UAE.”

The projects were assessed based on four main criteria: novelty, impact, feasibility, and how well the innovation was communicated to the world.

In its fourth cycle, the Pitch@Gov Challenge attracted more than 150 innovative ideas and projects, showcasing
many innovative solutions. Short-listed projects’ owners presented their innovative ideas within the activities of the UAE Innovates 2024 Exhibition to a jury encompassing an elite group of experts and specialists from the MBRCGI and the MBRIF. The jury evaluated projects that support sustainability, reconnecting emerging generations with the Emirati culture and laying the foundations of innovation in the UAE.

The “Katateeb” platform targets children between 3 and 13 years old using gamification to reconnect youth with their heritage. This virtual environment combines gamification elements to allow users to engage in activities that embody core Emirati values, such as hospitality, tolerance, family cohesion, generosity, among others, through interactive role-playing scenarios.

“Takkul” platform is committed to addressing the critical issue of food waste by enabling food retailers to sell their surplus food at discounted prices to consumers. Every day, valuable and edible food is needlessly discarded by food
retailers, leading to noticeable economic, social, and environmental challenges. This wasteful practice not only burdens businesses with unsold inventory and financial losses but also contributes to environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions and the depletion of precious land and water resources. The platform works with 30 partners in the F and B industry and more than 150 consumers, who use the platform daily.

The Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation adopts a work methodology based on three pillars, namely “Innovation Enablers” through which it creates a knowledge base that encompasses new trends, experts and information; “Innovation Missions” which embrace and implement innovative initiatives in the UAE government, and “Innovation Platforms” which provide innovative practices and approaches to hone government capabilities.

MBRCGI’s work methodology and pillars align with the goals of the “We the UAE 2031” vision and reflect MBRCGI’s ongoing efforts to establish an enabling env
ironment for promoting innovation and building the capabilities of calibers by developing an integrated system for innovation.

Source: Emirates News Agency