How to modernize the media industry

Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Media Council (NMC), has said that the NMC will be building on previous achievements to continue the process of modernisation and development as the UAE already ranks high on global competitiveness indices.

During a meeting with the executive directors of the NMC, Al Jaber underscored the importance of enhancing the role of the NMC as a national authority for developing and enhancing the media sector in line with the directives of the wise leadership. Al Jaber said the leadership prioritises the media based on its belief in the responsibility and importance of this sector and the remarkable stature of the UAE in various spheres.

Mr. Al Jaber said, "Based on the Cabinet's decision about the organisational structure of the National Media Council, we will develop a comprehensive strategy and specific goals that contribute towards improving the mechanisms of work in this sector as well as enhance its stature and pivotal role in getting across the message of the UAE to peoples of the world."

The Cabinet approved a resolution appointing Mr. Ibrahim Abdul Rahman Al Abed as Advisor to the Board of Directors of the NMC. Based on this, the chairman of the board of directors has decided to assign him to oversee Emirates News Agency (WAM). The board also decided to appoint Mr. Mansour Ibrahim Ahmed Al Mansouri as Acting Director General of the National Media Council.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the demands and priorities of the coming stage and the set targets as well as a number of other matters relating to the work of the NMC.

Minister Al Jaber added, "The media sector is vulnerable to events and developments. In order to succeed and achieve excellence, we must double our efforts, embrace the approach of continuous coordination and development in order to enable the national media to keep pace with progress and development taking place in the UAE. All of us are proud of the UAE's successes and achievements in various spheres and sectors. Through the media, we also should continue to work on bolstering the UAE's outstanding regional and international stature."

He added, "In line with the directives of the leadership, the NMC will focus on supporting, motivating and developing national media capabilities and resources, and will continue to work towards promoting the reputation and positive image of the UAE in all spheres and projecting its civilisational, economic and humanitarian achievements."

Al Jaber praised the previous achievements of the NMC as a leading example of professionalism that promoted the national responsibility of the Emirati media. He said, "The NMC accomplished all its tasks in an efficient way, contributing to the qualitative leaps that the Emirati media has taken. We, in the new Board of Directors, will spare no effort to work and collaborate with all relevant media authorities to enhance the competitiveness of Emirati media amid the technological changes taking place in today's world."

The National Media Council is the regulatory body of the media in the UAE. It also plays a role in developing national media and coordinating media policies in the UAE based on a specified strategy.

The NMC will develop media regulations and legislation to ensure better performance and will take special interest in drawing up an effective strategy to keep pace with developments in the media industry, digital media and social networking platforms in particular. –End-

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Why Air Arabia has been recognized as Best Low-Cost Airline in Mideast

Somaliland sun : Air Arabia has been named the Best Low-cost Airline in the Middle East at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, which took place at the Paris Air Show this year. This is the second time in three years that Air Arabia has won the coveted award, following its previous victory in 2013.

The world's largest airline passenger satisfaction survey is conducted every year to decide the winners of the Skytrax World Airline Awards. The Award for the Best Low-Cost Airline is based upon an assessment of customer satisfaction of the product and staff service standards provided by the airline in both the cabin and airport environments.

"We are delighted to be once again named the region's top low-cost carrier," said Adel A. Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia. "Winning the Skytrax award is particularly pleasing as it is based on levels of customer satisfaction, which is the criteria Air Arabia values above all others. We thank survey participants for their positive feedback and hope to make their next experience of flying with Air Arabia even more enjoyable."

The Skytrack award continues a string of accolades won by Air Arabia over the past year, including including "Low Cost Carrier of the Year" from Aviation Business, "Middle East's Leading Low-Cost Airline 2014" at the 21st World Travel Awards, the "Airline Business Award" at the Airline Strategy Awards 2014, and "Best Low-Cost Carrier" at the 2015 World Tourism Forum Awards. 

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3000 Indons feted by UAE

The UAE Embassy and Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation have hosted a mass iftar banquet for 3000 people at Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, in the presence of a number of local officials.

Iftar banquets in Ramdan are part of a UAE annual tradition of helping the underprivileged during the Holy Month of Ramdan.

Advisor to the UAE Embassy, Walid Darwish Al Raisi, noted that the UAE government also provides humanitarian assistance for most poor countries.

The latest charity effort in Jakarta, he added, has received appreciation from the beneficiaries. –End-

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Let us put an end to food losses and food waste

Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, has recently participated in a high-level conference, entitled ‘No More Food to Waste: Global Action to Stop Food Losses and Food Waste’, held in The Hague in the Netherlands.

The meeting was attended by Ministers representing Environment, Labour, Economy and Industry Ministries, heads of a number of international organisations and international personalities.

The UAE's participation complements its commitment to achieve the goals of sustainable development in various sectors, including contributions towards the strengthening of food security at local and international levels.

Dr. Bin Fahad said that according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, FAO, about one third of global food production is lost or wasted annually, hence the urgent need to support international efforts to reduce global food loss.

He added that the UAE’s participation in the conference demonstrates its desire to enhance food security as a priority in line with UAE Vision 2021 to be one of the world’s best countries by 2021.

Dr. Bin Fahad went on to say that food waste and loss is considered a major waste of resources, including water, land, energy, labour and capital. Moreover, the resultant gases released contribute to global warming, causing a rise in temperatures and climate change.

He pointed out that the UAE operates within its national strategy to ensure the sustainable development of its environment and infrastructure.

‘No More Food to Waste’ is an international platform to discuss ways to reduce malnutrition through the exchange of best practices and experiences adopted to control food waste and reduce loss and the implementation of global laws and legislation in this area.

The conference dealt with major topics such as financing and investment in food waste along with recycling and proper disposal, which adds to the creation of partnerships and international cooperation.  –End-

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How to combat climate change: Experts discuss the ways

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has co-organised a workshop with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, and United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, on the Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative, LAKI, for the Gulf Cooperation Council region, in Abu Dhabi. The workshop was hosted by the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative, AGEDI.

Impacts of climate change, such as increasing or decreasing rainfall and temperature, are expected to affect the Gulf region and its ecosystems in many ways. These include the effects on agricultural production, water availability, coastal infrastructures, biodiversity and human health. Governments around the world are taking measures to adapt to, and be prepared for, potential impacts of climate change.

However, gaps in knowledge, be they insufficient rainfall data, accurate mapping of fauna and flora, robust projection of sea level rise, or economic analysis of costs of inaction, are often cited as barriers for successful adaptation actions. The LAKI workshop aimed to enhance successful adaptation actions in the Gulf region by identifying and prioritising knowledge of these gaps and how to close them.

"Adaptation to climate change is an important agenda for all, but particularly for the Gulf region with high summer temperatures and scarce water resources," said Ali Al Shafar, Deputy-Director, Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"This workshop helped take stock of what is already in the region and identify ways in which we can address gaps in order for the region to be better prepared for impacts of climate change and achieving sustainable development."

Participants acknowledged that while there are good examples of policy interventions and research, more could be done. Specific feedback included fostering governance mechanisms at the national level for evidence-based decision making and effective implementation, as well as strengthening regional cooperation for unified data gathering, monitoring and capacity building.

"We are very pleased to hold this workshop in cooperation with the government of the United Arab Emirates" said, Dr. Iyad Abumoghli, Director and Regional Representative of UNEP Regional Office for West Asia. "For the first time, climate experts gathered to identify the knowledge needed to address adaptation to climate change. The workshop highlighted a number of important work carried out in the Gulf region as well as challenges that could inspire others for appropriate adaptation measures."

"We are immensely grateful to the leadership of the government of UAE in hosting the LAKI workshop in Abu Dhabi," said Dr. Youssef Nassef, Coordinator of Adaptation Programme, UNFCCC Secretariat. "A list of 10 priority adaptation knowledge needs, together with actions required to address them, emerged from the workshop and will serve as a solid foundation for state and non-state entities to work together towards a more climate resilient GCC region through an enhanced adaptation knowledge base."

"We are pleased to be engaged in the strategic and timely Lima Adaptation Knowledge Initiative, as it is an opportunity for all to capitalise on the AGEDI’s work programme on climate change which extends beyond Abu Dhabi and the UAE into the Arabian Peninsula to help guide informed decision-making across the region, and for AGEDI to further align with our colleagues on the regional level," said Ahmed Abdulmuttaleb Baharoon, Acting Director of AGEDI, the lead technical coordinating agency at the GCC level for the Initiative.

The workshop participants included researchers from international organisations and academic institutions from the region, representatives from UAE federal and local entities as well as those engaged in international climate change negotiations. –End-

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Islam stands for peace and tolerance, not extremism and violence

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has said the UAE, in cooperation with other Arab and Muslim countries as well as religious scholars, continues its efforts to project, promote and consolidate the real Islamic values and principles of justice, tolerance, peace, peaceful coexistence and mutual respect which are diametrically against extremism and violence.

In his remarks at a meeting with the UAE President's guest scholars at Al Bateen Palace, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed commended the efforts being made by religious scholars in Arab and Muslim countries to project the real image, principles and tolerant goals of Islam which ennobles humanity, science, development and urban expansion, and to counter terrorist groups that do not belong to Islam. He noted that these groups embrace violence, extremism, killing and destruction as approaches to achieve their disguised goals of promoting division among Muslims and destroying its human, social and security assets.

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed called on all to make more collaborative efforts to achieve the noble objectives of Islam and wished for success for the scholars in promoting wisdom enlightening people about religious affairs during Ramadan.

The Crown Prince and the scholars talked about the affairs of Muslims and ways of spreading the culture of dialogue and cultural interaction to promote peace and coexistence between all peoples and state.

His Highness the Crown Prince and the scholars exchanged greetings on the Holy Month of Ramdan and prayed to Allah Almighty to bless the UAE, Arab Nation and Muslim Nation with further wellbeing and prosperity. They prayed for the founding father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. They also prayed to Allah to bless the country's leadership headed by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan with success for their humanitarian initiatives and serving the Arab Nation and Muslim Nation.

The guest scholars expressed their delight with being in the UAE to deliver religious lectures on matters that are important for Muslims.

They prayed to Allah to protect the security and stability of the UAE to enable it to continue its progress and development and serve its people and all Muslims.

The scholars' Ramadan lecture programmes in the UAE are overseen by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs under follow-up by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

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Coke Smugglers Busted

The Dubai Police have received thanks for their assistance in the arrests in a number of countries of suspects smuggling drugs.

The General Department of Anti Narcotics of the Dubai police, working in cooperation with the Serious Organised Crime Organisation at the British General Consulate in Dubai (SOCA), foiled four international drug smuggling operations originating in South America and destined for two African states, as well as a third Asian country, during the past two months.

Also, police confiscated 7 kg of cocaine during the arrests.

Col Eid Mohammed Thani Hareb, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at Dubai Police, made the remarks when he received messages of thanks from the liaison officer of SOCA, as well as authorities in Nigeria, South Africa and Turkey, citing the diligent efforts of Dubai Police to combat drugs.

He added that the smugglers were arrested in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria, Johannesburg, South Africa, and Istanbul, adding that "Three men and one woman were taken into custody based upon the accurate information with which we provided the relevant authorities."

Col. Hareb said those arrested used different methods to smuggle the drugs, including putting them in secret compartments in their bags and clothes as well as in their stomachs.

He stressed the importance of international cooperation in combating drugs smuggling, urging the public to notify authorities when they suspect illegal drug activities. –End-

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