Human Rights

ABU DHABI, Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council, FNC, highlighted the deep relations between the UAE and Estonia, as well as their keenness to strengthen and develop them in all areas.

Ghobash made this statement during his meeting, at the council’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, with Enn Eesmaa, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, and his delegation, in the presence of FNC members Dr. Ali Al Nuaimi, Obaid Al Salami and Moza Al Amiri, along with Dr. Omar Al Nuaimi, FNC Secretary-General.

Several issues of common concern were discussed during the meeting, including the advancement and activation of the parliamentary diplomacy between the two sides to enhance their existing cooperation and coordination, in light of the keenness of their leaderships and governments to improve their overall relations.

Both sides also discussed the latest regional developments and ways of solving various issues through diplomatic efforts and political solutions, to achieve regional and international security and stability.

Eesmaa praised the friendship and cooperation between the two countries while highlighting his keenness to develop them in all areas.

He also stressed the importance of exchanging parliamentary visits to strengthening the existing overall relations between the two countries, through discussing many issues of common concern and enhancing their parliamentary cooperation.

Eesmaa lauded the UAE’s overall development while confirming Estonia’s participation in the Expo 2020 Dubai. He then invited Ghobash to attend the official inauguration of the Estonian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on 22nd March, in the presence of Juri Ratas, Prime Minister of Estonia.

Source: Emirates News Agency

BEIJING, In the face of the latest coronavirus outbreak, China is setting a new standard for outbreak response, an article in China Media Group’s website has suggested.

The article quoted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, when on January 30th he declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern over the global outbreak of the new coronavirus.

Ghebreyesus said the declaration should not be regarded as a “vote of no confidence in China. On the contrary, the WHO continues to have confidence in China’s capacity to control the outbreak.” He has also expressed his full support for all the efforts China has made to contain the virus.

“China’s efforts to combat the disease deserve respect and appreciation, and in many ways, China is actually setting a new standard for outbreak response,” Ghebreyesus said.

Commenting on this, the article said the international community has very good reasons to be confident. Since the outbreak was first identified, the Chinese government has adopted the most comprehensive and strictest prevention and control measures, many of which have gone far above the requirements of the International Health Regulations.

“China, as the government has repeatedly stated, will also continue to strengthen collaboration with the WHO and other countries in an open, transparent and responsible manner, so as to beat the outbreak as quickly as possible,” it concluded.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DUBAI, ”Empowering the Emirati youth is at the heart of initiatives and strategies adopted by the UAE Government under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on its journey to the future,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said after approving 33 young Emiratis as members on the boards of key federal entities at a Cabinet meeting today.

The move followed the approval of the mandatory Cabinet Resolution for engaging youth to become members of boards of federal government companies. The resolution called for the participation of at least one young Emirati who is not over 30 years of age on the boards. An e-portal was also launched for the registration and application to these boards.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid affirmed that investing and qualifying young Emiratis to engage in national work is a well-established approach since the UAE was founded by the late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

”We congratulate our sons and daughters who join these boards in the UAE Government, we fully support them and their responsibility starts from today,” His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said, adding, “The youth are the backbone of the present and makers of the future and the lifelong wealth which should be developed to ensure the competitiveness of the UAE. We have confidence in the abilities of our youth to develop services and present constructive ideas for the progress of the nation.” ”Today, we have adopted a policy to engage them in official Federal Government missions … they are our ambassadors and the engine in our government work,” he said.

He instructed the Federal Government to create the appropriate environment for the youth to innovate and excel and unleash their potential and harness their energies and abilities to modernise government work.

The young board members, who will serve a term of between two and three years are expected to provide creative solutions over a set of national issues so as to better serve the nation and its people.

The Cabinet also approved a policy for the participation of employees under 35 years in delegations of official government missions abroad.

During today’s meeting, the Cabinet approved the creation of a national council for quality of life, a national council for quality of digital life, and a national committee for folklore.

In the regulatory context, the Cabinet formed the “2020: Towards the next 50” committee under the chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The committee is tasked with conceptualising comprehensive development, including the strategic directions of the first phase of the UAE Centennial Plan 2071, which will make the UAE Government the fastest, most flexible and responsive to future transformations.

A committee to prepare for the UAE Golden Jubilee celebrations was also formed under the chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The committee’s mandate includes the preparation of a national plan for the celebrations at the federal and local levels.

Source: Emirates News Agency

DAVOS, The UAE today announced that it will co-host the world’s biggest humanitarian event on 26th September 2020. Dubai will host one of ten simultaneous live events organised by Global Citizen, the international organisation that aims to build a movement to end extreme poverty by 2030.

The news was announced as part of the UAE delegation’s participation in the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos. The country was announced as one of ten nations to host Global Citizen’s international ‘Global Goal Live’ event.

The ‘Global Goal Live’ event will bring some of the world’s biggest celebrities together to perform around the world to raise the profile and global effort to eradicate poverty, and is expected to draw more than 1.5 billion viewers. This year’s Global Citizen show runs under the slogan ‘The Possible Dream’, and will be broadcasted live across streaming and television platforms for ten consecutive hours.

Commenting on the announcement, Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, said, “Hosting the ‘Global Goal Live’ event this September reflects the UAE’s humanitarian efforts to eradicate worldwide poverty.”

“It is also a manifestation of the UAE leadership’s vision to contribute towards the betterment of humanity, a vision cultivated by the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed and one that President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, continue to build upon,” he added.

The Minister went on to say, “With Dubai being selected to host the ‘Global Goal Live’ event, the biggest worldwide humanitarian event and one that will bring together thousands of engaging and impactful global citizens for a noble cause, is a testament to the UAE’s history of advocating for humanitarian work on regional and global levels.

“Humanitarian and developmental work is at the core of the UAE’s policies, which is manifested tangibly through the establishment of hundreds of institutions and initiatives dedicated to humanitarian work. Since its foundation, the UAE has become the heartbeat of global humanitarian causes and has dedicating its efforts and resources to make the world a better place by empowering communities and overcoming obstacles that hinder sustainable development.”

“The slogan of ‘Global Goal Live’ ‘The Possible Dream’ chimes with the slogan of the UAE Nation Brand: ‘Make it Happen’. Both slogans reinforce the notion that any dream can be achieved with hard work and perseverance. Both slogans represent the UAE’s remarkable narrative: a nation built on ambition and dreams, which can build a new reality that the world can look to for inspiration,” he continued.

The ‘Global Goal Live’ event, organised by Global Citizen, is the biggest humanitarian event worldwide. It brings people together to tackle extreme poverty. It aims to achieve this through campaigns which mobilise everyday citizens, corporations, governments, and philanthropists to reprioritise their efforts to end extreme poverty and ensure the realisation of the Global Goals.

New York-headquartered Global Citizen, is a movement of engaged citizens whose mission is to build a movement of 100 million action-taking global citizens to end extreme poverty by 2030.

Through its mix of content and events, grassroots organising, and its action platform, the organisation is building a movement to end poverty. The movement – which has offices in Canada, South Africa, Australia, Germany, and the United Kingdom – organises massive global campaigns to amplify the actions of global citizens from around the world.

Co-founded by Hugh Evans, Simon Moss, Wei Soo in 2008, the Global Citizen platform was co-founded with Ryan Gall and Riot House in 2012.

Since 2011, millions of Global Citizens around the world have taken over 24 million actions to call world leaders to end extreme poverty by 2030. To date, the actions by its global community along with its high-level advocacy efforts and with its partners, have resulted in commitments and policy announcements from leaders, valued at over US$48 billion that have impacted more than 880 million, according to the Global Citizen website.

Source: Emirates News Agency

ABU DHABI, The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, ADX, Chief Executive said on Monday that the recent UAE Cabinet approval of a draft law amending provisions within the Agency Law is considered as a “pivotal step forward towards enhancing the UAE’s trade and investment development”.

In a statement, the ADX Chief Executive Khalifa Salem Al Mansouri added, “The amended law intends to encourage both the transformation of family-owned business to join our country’s financial markets and the UAE nationals to invest in public shareholding companies granting them with the expected necessary statutory protection.”

Federal Law No. 18 of 1981, or the ‘Agency Law’, regulates commercial agency and distribution agreements within the country. On Saturday, the UAE Cabinet approved a draft law amending provisions within the law to enhance the capabilities and continuity of family businesses, as well as to establish rules of governance and protection from defaulting.

“The move will directly benefit ADX’s customer-centric strategy in contributing towards bolstering the UAE economy by increasing investment opportunities through the provision of both high quality services and tailored financial products,” Al Mansouri continued.

“Those designed to provide stable financial performance with diversified sources of income for all investors. The new law should encourage family-owned companies to take advantage of ADX’s advanced technological infrastructure to convert into joint stock companies,” he added.

Source: Emirates News Agency

GENEVA, The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet today condemned the continued killing and displacement of civilians in north-western Syria despite the announcement of a ceasefire nearly a week ago.

Bachelet called for the immediate cessation of hostilities in and around the ‘de-escalation’ zone of Idlib, and the protection of all civilians and civilian infrastructure.

“Our main concern is for the safety of civilians who remain at serious risk,” said Bachelet. “While the pursuit of a ceasefire is, of course, to be encouraged, this agreement � as with others in the past year � has yet again failed to protect civilians.

“It is deeply distressing that civilians are still being killed on a daily basis in missile strikes from both the air and ground. Women, men and children simply carrying out everyday activities at home, the workplace, in markets and at schools are being killed and maimed in senseless violence.”

Despite the implementation of the ceasefire on 12th January and the establishment of “safe corridors” by the Government of Syria, civilians continued to be subjected to intensified bombardment as both pro-Government forces and non-State armed groups have continued to fight and press military advantages on the ground, with an apparent disregard for international humanitarian law and the protection of all civilians.

From the beginning of the escalation of hostilities in the de-escalation zone in Idlib and surrounding areas on 29th April 2019 up to 15th January this year, the UN Human Rights Office has verified incidents in which 1,506 civilians, including 293 women and 433 children, have been killed. Of these, 75 civilians including 17 women and 22 children (five percent of the total), were in areas under the control of Government forces.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the violence and forced to traverse conflict zones. Some have fled to smaller territories in northern Idlib while others have crossed into areas in northern Aleppo that are under the control of Turkey-backed armed groups and where levels of violence in such areas remain high.

Source: Emirates News Agency