Covid-19 has shone a light on the acute vulnerabilities of our interconnected world. No country can tackle the pandemic alone, regardless of its size, wealth or technological sophistication.
The only way to overcome the threat is through international co-operation, transparency and common adherence to rules, laws and regulations.
It is a poignant irony that the pandemic has struck on the 75th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations. The UN was born out of the wreckage of a wholly human calamity – the Second World War – amid a determination that future generations should be spared comparable suffering.
In the Middle East and other regions that are suffering from protracted conflicts, the UN and its principles of multilateral co-operation remain indispensable for finding long-term, sustainable solutions that will guarantee peace, stability and prosperity.
I hope the countries of the region can further strengthen their existing multilateral organisations, such as the Arab League and the Gulf Co-operation Council. During my time as UN Secretary General, it was invaluable for me to consult regularly with the Secretaries General of both these important organisations.
The principles of international law are the bedrock of our global order. They provide a framework for defending rights and exercising power that is crucial to all global challenges.
We can see this clearly in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has lasted for almost as long as the UN itself.
The best, most enduring and just solution will be to provide two states – Israel and Palestine – for the two peoples, based on the internationally-recognised pre-1967 borders and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 2334, among others.
The recent agreements between the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel are significant political developments that I hope can help overcome decades of estrangement and mistrust.
I hope Israel and the entire Arab world can build on the agreements to work towards a durable two-state solution that delivers peace, justice and security to Palestinians and Israelis alike.
As a precondition, though, it is important that unilateral and illegal moves such as the “annexation” of swathes of occupied Palestinian land, as recently proposed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are rejected as a matter of principle and practice.
In 1945, it seemed as if the world had finally learned the lessons of two disastrous world wars. The United Nations was created, in the words of its Charter, to “save the world from the scourge of war” and pursue peaceful and inclusive paths to global prosperity and democracy.
Cynics argue that the fact that war, inequality, discrimination and poverty have not been vanquished over the past 75 years means that the UN is a costly failure. I vehemently disagree.
The network of international covenants and institutions agreed and constructed since 1945, with the United Nations at its core, is far from perfect. But it has nevertheless decisively supported the pursuit of peace, security and the protection of human rights, as well as economic and social improvements, around the globe, for over seven decades.
This is why The Elders – the group of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela to work for peace, justice and human rights, of which I have the honour to be Deputy Chair – released a new report on defending multilateralism in June 2020 on the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, with five calls to action for today's leaders: recommit to the values of the UN Charter; empower the UN to fulfil its mandate for collective action on peace and security; strengthen health systems to tackle Covid-19 and prepare for future pandemics; show greater ambition on climate change to meet the Paris Agreement targets; and mobilise support for the entirety of the Sustainable Development Goals.
All nations need to recognise that effective multilateralism is in all their interests to meet these goals, regardless of size or strength.
Where the UN has failed, this has been because member states – particularly but not exclusively the five permanent members of the Security Council – have not lived up to their responsibilities, and have placed their narrow national interests above common priorities.
I welcomed the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council resolution 2532 in July 2020, which called for a global humanitarian ceasefire to avert further humanitarian catastrophes in the context of the pandemic. I strongly supported this initiative by Secretary General Guterres when he first raised it in May. However, valuable months were wasted in arguments over the details of the text.
Squabbles over semantics in the face of bloody conflicts and an unprecedented pandemic sent a terrible signal to the world’s public, and I fear that without a radical and urgent change of political mindset, certain member states risk weakening the overall credibility of the UN precisely when it is most needed.
Unfortunately, we are still in the early stages of this pandemic. Beyond the direct health effects, the economic impacts will be both long-lasting and severe, with ripple effects for many fragile and conflict-affected states.
The World Food Programme has warned of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War, with 600,000 children likely to die from famine and malnutrition in the coming months in the worst-affected countries like Yemen, Somalia, Nigeria and South Sudan.
Prosperous, stable and highly-developed countries like the UAE are uniquely positioned to help the world “build back better” from Covid-19 and increase ambition in the face of other existential threats such as climate change. They can also use their influence to ensure that the roots of conflict in the region are addressed, not just the symptoms.
The virus is a sombre reminder of our common human bonds and vulnerabilities. We will dishonour its victims unless we respond to the pandemic and other shared threats with a renewed sense of solidarity and collective action.
Ban Ki-moon is Deputy Chair of The Elders and served as the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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
Celta Vigo 2
Castro (45'), Aspas (82')
Barcelona 2
Dembele (36'), Alcacer (64')
Red card: Sergi Roberto (Barcelona)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
