Emirates Press

DUBAI, Dubai Future Foundation will host the world’s largest gathering of futurists in Dubai this year to anticipate what humanity’s future might look like across key areas – from the climate crisis to the continuous progress of artificial intelligence.

Between 10th to 12th October, 2022, 400 of the world’s leading futurists, experts and innovators will convene at the Museum of the Future for the inaugural Dubai Future Forum, where they will discuss, debate and predict the future trajectory of the world.

The first edition of the Dubai Future Forum will host 30 sessions, including panel discussions and live debates on topics that include advances in artificial intelligence (AI) sentience, bridging the digital divide, the readiness of hydrogen to take over the energy mantle from oil and gas, interplanetary colonisation, and a future climate scenario where the 2 C global warming threshold is breached.

Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation, said, “The Dubai Future Forum represents a significant levelling-up of our efforts to foresee the future. The global platform in Dubai will host futurists and the world’s brightest minds to anticipate the opportunities and challenges to shape our societies. It will explore how we can harness emerging technologies and deploy Fourth Industrial Revolution tools to transform challenges into opportunities.”

He added, “Human knowledge is growing, and technological advancement is accelerating rapidly. Consequently, we are no longer witnesses to change; we are the drivers of change. We need to be ready to deploy skills and technologies to serve society and enhance the quality of life for all.”

By convening with more than 45 organisations, the forum’s sessions will focus on four main themes, which include the “Future of our World”, “Mitigating Existential Risk”, “What Does it Mean to be Human”, and “Hedging our Bets through Foresight”.

Each theme will explore how humanity and technology can come together to overcome some of the most urgent crises facing the world right now, from the climate crisis to rising energy prices and ongoing vulnerabilities in global public healthcare infrastructure.

Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Deputy CEO and Chief Operations Officer of Dubai Future Foundation, said, “As various existential threats mount, Dubai Future Forum’s discussions will focus on transforming these challenges into opportunities. The forum will address topics such as climate change, hydrogen fuel, AI, skills gaps, and space colonisation head-on.”

“The forum will inspire an alternative outlook on future sectors that will impact our economies, governments, and daily lives. We can achieve giant leaps in the future, but only by applying foresight and future planning. That is where the Dubai Future Forum will bring tremendous value in helping to shape the future of humanity.”

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has appointed H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the Arab Youth Centre, coinciding with World Youth Day.

The Arab Youth Centre, founded in 2017 through a UAE Cabinet resolution, will continue implementing initiatives and programmes that empower the region’s youth, sharpen their skills and increase their participation and developmental contributions.

Sheikh Theyab expressed his appreciation for the UAE Cabinet’s confidence in his abilities, stressing that he will continue the efforts to empower the youth, which prioritises investing in human resources.

The youth represent the region’s wealth, he added, noting their capacity to build communities and accelerate the development process.

The centre will continue its related efforts under the framework of the strategic vision of the UAE’s leadership to empower human resources and will soon launch a range of initiatives, programmes and projects that will focus on achieving a doubled positive impact, he further added.

Sheikh Theyab then pointed out that the centre will enhance its partnerships with Arab youth ministries and youth organisations to improve their skills in technology, media, content creation and diplomacy.

The Arab Youth Centre was established as a response to the aspirations of the Arab youth, to empower them in their respective countries and promote joint Arab youth action, which comprises a range of integrated initiatives aimed at empowering the youth, including the Youth Development Delegates in the Arab Region, the Arab Youth Council for Climate Change, the Young Arab Media Leaders Programme, the Technology Fellowship for Arab Youth, the Arab Youth Research Platform, the Youth Solutions Programme and the Young Arab Diplomatic Leaders Programme.

At the start of the year, the centre organised the Arab Meeting for Young Leaders on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai, in partnership with the Arab League and with the participation of 15 young ministers and more than 50 leaders, as well as 120 young pioneers in youth action.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ACCRA, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, received Amer Al Alawi, Chargé d’Affairs at the UAE Embassy in Ghana, at the Presidential Palace in Accra to discuss issues of common interest between the two countries.

During the meeting, Al Alawi conveyed to the President of Ghana the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and their wishes for Ghana and its people for further growth and prosperity.

For his part, Akufo-Addo wished President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, health and wellness and the people of the UAE further growth, success, and prosperity, expressing his desire to strengthen relations between the UAE and Ghana.

Al Alawi discussed with President of Ghana the growth of bilateral relations in various fields and ways to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in international fora, stressing his keenness to deepen ties and explore additional opportunities for joint cooperation.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, The Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund (MBRIF), an initiative launched by UAE Ministry of Finance to support nationwide innovation, today announced it has provided funding support to Bayzat, the UAE’s leading employee benefits platform, as part of its Guarantee Scheme.

As a technology firm that enables businesses to better cater to the needs of employees and drive efficiencies in the HR, payroll, and insurance functions, Bayzat will use the fund secured with MBRIF’s guarantee, to expand its workforce with a focus on further strengthening its technical development team.

Fatima Al Naqbi, Chief Innovation Officer at Ministry of Finance and MBRIF representative, said, “In alignment with the MBRIF’s vision to support the UAE’s accelerating innovation ecosystem, we envisage that Bayzat’s platform will significantly benefit many businesses across the region and shape a better employee experience through digitally-driven methods.

“We saw huge potential in Bayzat due to their accelerated plans for growth across the GCC and we are pleased to be guiding more innovators onto a pathway for growth and success.”

Launched in 2013, Bayzat provides HR and insurance solutions by helping companies automate their HR administration, payroll processing, and health insurance. It was one of the first companies to set up operations in Abu Dhabi-based technology ecosystem Hub71.

Bayzat has hit several major milestones in 2022 including recording 1 million total logins per month keeping in line with the company’s mission of making world-class employee experiences accessible to every company.

Talal Bayaa, CEO and co-founder at Bayzat, said, “We are proud to have MBRIF contribute to our ongoing expansion and the continuous enhancement of our platform. Bayzat’s value proposition has resonated strongly with organisations as they face new pressures to deliver exceptional experiences to both their customers and employees.

“On the back of the impressive momentum we have built up by catering to this market need, we have set ambitious growth targets and the support of MBRIF helps us in achieving these objectives.”

Over the next 12 months, Bayzat will continue to introduce high-impact features and employee benefit offers in order to fulfil its goal of becoming the gold standard for employee benefits within the region. Bayzat is also in the midst of an accelerated expansion across the GCC and other international markets, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

Over the years, MBRIF’s Guarantee Scheme has played a key role in facilitating innovators with unique access to affordable debt finance without giving up equity.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, Dubai Airports has been named the winner of a Gold Stevie Award in the Most Innovative Workplace Redesign During Covid-19 category in the seventh annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

Dubai Airports was recognised with a Gold Stevie Award for undertaking a number of impressive initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic to protect the health and wellbeing of employees, customers, and guests.

This included the redesign of the Dubai Airports workplace with the installation of onsite testing and vaccination facilities and making these available free of charge for all staff and their families.

A series of important technology changes were also implemented in a very short period – redefining ways of working at Dubai Airports. This included the introduction of an online collaboration platform and relaxing of video conferencing restrictions to enable remote working, rollout of DAInsignia e-signature platform, enabling 100 percent digital workforce with the ability to work from anywhere as well as the automation of Human Resources (HR) employee services which helped to eliminate paper and enhance the employee experience. Not only did these changes improve efficiency, but also enabled true contactless work maximising safety for all employees.

Welcoming the win at the awards, Majed Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Airports, said, “Dubai’s and the UAE’s response to the pandemic has been hailed globally as exemplary in how it balanced the safety and well-being of people while also protecting the economy and thousands of livelihoods across sectors. We knew that the restoration of consumer confidence was the first critical requirement towards achieving meaningful recovery, and we worked accordingly to ensure that our employees and customers felt confident in our ability to keep them safe and protected at Dubai International Airport.”

The Covid 19 – Response Categories in this year’s Stevie Awards recognise innovative redesigns of workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep employees, customers, and others safe and productive. The special category was created to honour the contributions of HR individuals, teams, and entire organisations that have worked valiantly over the year to keep employees safe, healthy, employed, paid, and informed.

More than 100 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners.

Winners in the Employer of the Year categories were determined by a unique blending of the ratings of the professional judges and more than 80,000 public votes.

Source: Emirates News Agency