At a moment when the world confronts complex health and development challenges, shrinking fiscal space and concurrent humanitarian crises, decisive leadership often emerges from places willing to think differently, collaborate boldly and act with conviction.
This week in Abu Dhabi, as global partners came together during Abu Dhabi Finance Week for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative – or GPEI – pledge and for the first-ever Goalkeepers event to be held in the Middle East, the UAE demonstrated once again what purposeful convening can achieve. These gatherings were far more than events; they were signals that conversations shaping humanity’s shared future cannot be confined to one hemisphere, one region or one worldview.
Abu Dhabi has steadily built a reputation as a place where ambitious ideas meet practical action. The GPEI pledge of $1.2 billion reaffirmed that the UAE is not just a supporter of global health, but a strategic partner that mobilises others towards collective progress. By welcoming philanthropies, governments, innovators and multilateral partners, the UAE created a platform where consensus and commitment could accelerate the final stages of polio eradication.
The capital’s role as a convener stems from a unique blend of vision, openness and leadership. It is precisely this environment that allows global actors to exchange diverse perspectives, bridge differences and build trust – something many may find lacking in today’s geopolitical environment. When Abu Dhabi brings the world together, it does so with purpose and visible impact.
Hosting the first Goalkeepers event in the Middle East, held in partnership with the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity and the Gates Foundation, underscores the UAE’s role as a connector between regions, sectors and ideologies. The message was unmistakable: the future of development requires voices from around the globe, including those from rapidly transforming regions like ours.
Technology is no longer a supporting actor in global health – it is the main stage. From AI-driven disease surveillance to drone-enabled vaccine delivery, tech-powered solutions are transforming how we reach communities and implement programmes on the ground. Abu Dhabi’s leadership lies in creating ecosystems where these innovations can scale rapidly, bridging the gap between ambition and measurable impact.
The GPEI pledge and Goalkeepers event in Abu Dhabi were not isolated moments. Together, they reflect a shift in how and where global challenges are being addressed. They highlight that the Middle East, and the UAE in particular, is not just a participant in global health and development conversations, but a leader shaping them.
At a time when geopolitical divides threaten collective progress – which we are already seeing in the projected increase in child mortality rates – the UAE’s example is both timely and necessary. It reminds us that global health is a shared responsibility that affects economic and geopolitical stability, that solutions emerge from any region, and that true progress demands that all voices have a seat at the table.
As we move into this next chapter, I am optimistic. Optimistic because the UAE continues to invest in partnerships that transcend borders and business as usual. Optimistic because technology and innovation are no longer optional – they are essential drivers of progress. By harnessing data, digital platforms and emerging technologies, we can ensure that health interventions are faster, smarter and more inclusive, reaching those who need them most.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
RACE CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
8.15pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
9.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
57%20Seconds
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Mobile phone packages comparison
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The%20specs
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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
