Refugees and advocates are vying for their voices to be heard as legislators and donors set out their goals at the Global Refugee Forum.
Shaza Al Rihawi, a Syrian refugee living in Germany, was speaking about gender-based violence alongside the German and French foreign ministers on the forum’s opening day.
She has come a long way since she and other refugees were excluded from a consultation on refugees in Geneva six years ago. “We were not allowed to enter,” she said.
In response, she co-founded the Global Refugee-led Network, to create a “meaningful space” for displaced people to participate in key decision-making that affects them.
More than 300 refugees are among the 4,200 people attending at the forum this week, almost 10 per cent of the total. “Next time we would like to have 25 per cent,” Ms Al Rihawi said.
She hopes to see more support for host countries to provide education for refugees.
“It’s a way for communities to build their future,” she told The National. “We need to ensure that communities affected by displacement have the right to enter schools.”
This can also serve to “protect” children from illegal labour. “They might be in a poor situation, where they have to work and engage in the labour market to help their families,” she said.
In developed countries, including Germany, access to universities remains a challenge, owing to the cost of study and the paperwork involved. “In Europe sometimes its hard for people to engage in the universities,” she said.
“Either it's too expensive, or they need a lot of papers. If you’re fleeing your country, sometimes you cannot have all the documentation.”
Ms Al Rihawi recently returned from Cop28 in Dubai, where refugees were invited to speak about the impact of climate change on displaced people.
This year’s event had taken displaced people into “more consideration” than previous years, but more could done, she said.
“There is more consideration of the affected community,” she said. But “it was only for side events, not high-level ones”, she added.
Funding needed
Others have come to the Global Refugee Forum seeking funds for low to middle-income countries that are “bearing the brunt” of the global crisis.
Asia Al Mashreqi, co-founder of the Sustainable Development Foundation, supports refugees and internally displaced people in Yemen.
More than 95,000 asylum seekers from the Horn of Africa are living in Yemen, alongside millions of internally displaced people.
Yet in recent years, international humanitarian funding had been redirected to other crises, like the one stemming from the war in Ukraine.
“The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is a forgotten one, yet it is among the worst in the world,” Ms Al Mashreqi told The National.
The foundation supports the schooling and training of children and women from Yemen’s displaced communities.
Young people are taught a range of skills, such as fixing solar panels and computers, to digital marketing and entrepreneurship.
Educational programmes like this are essential, she said, to ensure the protection of Yemen's most vulnerable people. “It allows them to change their life for the better,” she said.
For her work, Ms Al Mashreqi was one of four regional recipients of the UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award, marked at the forum on Wednesday.
She called on the international community for more funding to support Yemen’s displaced, but asked for it to be accompanied by a long-term vision, rather than as an emergency response.
“It has to also be developmental, which will make it easier to find solutions for the future. We need a clear vision and strategy from the donors,” she said.
Chala Al Hussein, a Sahrawi refugee and architecture student, agreed on the need for better education.
Ms Al Hussein was born in a refugee camp at Tindouf, in southern Algeria, but today, she is a student at the University of Constantine in Algiers, owing to a scholarship. “I am 20 now, so I have been a refugee for 20 years,” she said.
“Of all the initiatives, education ones are the most important.
“We have teachers who are trained, but the opportunities are not there. We are still writing on chalk boards.”
Teaching English and French, languages not spoken in the camps, was also essential. She called on European countries to support language learning.
Ms Al Hussein was inspired to become an architect during a school visit to France and Spain, where she was overwhelmed by the densely built cities and remembers being particularly struck by Barcelona’s iconic modernist cathedral.
Today, she is looking for ways to improve the homes of people living in the camps where she grew up, which are subject to harsh weather and sandstorms.
Connectivity question
Others have called for more connectivity in refugee communities. Peter Batali, a South Sudanese refugee, runs an organisation that provides technology training in an isolated settlement in Uganda.
“After food, the next thing that refugees talk about is connectivity,” he told The National. “I'm here to amplify this voice.”
People travel long distances to get internet access for education, or to speak to loved ones living in different countries, he said. “When you go there you find that thousands of children and youth lack technology,” he added.
The Vodafone Foundation and Dubai Cares are part of a major pledge to develop connectivity in education for refugees, announced at the forum on Wednesday.
Mr Batali called on major telecoms and technology companies to support greater connectivity.
“We need all people that are players in technology, especially Vodafone, GSMA, Avanti and MasterCard. We need them to provide satellite communication and mobile network in the areas,” he said.
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Poacher
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
