Dina Mahmoud (London)
With a track record of both experiences and successes, the UAE, with its political and diplomatic weight and wide international appreciation, has paved the way for convening the G-20 summit, hosted by the Indonesian resort of Bali, by actively participating in its preparations, which added great vitality to the meetings. It was held on this level, at different levels, with the attendance of nearly 21,000 participants from different countries of the world.
The Emirati participation, which was praised by the various participants in preparing for the seventeenth summit of this group, which represents an international forum that brings together governments and central bank governors from 19 countries, in addition to the European Union, pumped blood in the arteries of many work and participation groups, as well as the Women Empowerment Initiative group, which All joined under the banner of Massari; The “Sherpa” and the “financial track”, which the organizers identified, serve as an umbrella for the preparatory meetings.
Youth Empowerment
While the “financial track” meetings focused on six priorities, which included issues related to the banking, tax, electronic payment and other sectors, the “Sherpa” track included; It is a singular originally meaning “the person responsible for helping climbers reach the summits of the Himalayas” in the Tibet region and is used to express the weight of the task undertaken by the participants in the preparations, eleven working groups and ten participation groups besides one initiative group, in which the Emirati participants had, Significant contributions. The pioneering initiatives launched by the UAE to enhance the role of youth and empower women and give them their rightful place in society were, of course, not far from the meeting table of the participation groups and the Women’s Empowerment Initiative group, which were devoted to issues related to these two important societal components.
For two consecutive years, the UAE ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa in the World Bank report entitled “Women, Business Activities and the Law 2021 and 2022”, within 8 axes, including freedom of movement, workplaces, wages, entrepreneurship, and pension These matters directly contribute to the empowerment of women that the G20 aspires to.
Among the other factors that lead to achieving this goal, which the UAE has made great strides in, are the enrollment rates of girls in secondary education under the age of 15, in which the country ranked first in the world, on the “absence of the gender gap” indicator, according to the report “Human Capital”. » issued by the “World Economic Forum”, as well as the percentage of female representation in Parliament, in which the UAE was at the forefront in the world, according to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the Institute for Administrative Development in Switzerland.
Of course, this was not separated from the fact that the UAE is the first Arab country to put in place legislation regarding the representation of women on corporate boards, which obligates the appointment of at least one woman on these boards. Observers unanimously agree that these pioneering Emirati steps, which are positively reflected at the regional level as well, contribute significantly to achieving the goals pursued by the “Group of Twenty” at the international level, with regard to empowering women and enhancing their economic representation, especially in sector institutions. The private. As for the youth category, which was among the axes of interest of the participation groups held within the framework of the “Sherpa” track, the UAE gives it a great priority, in light of the vision of its wise leadership for this segment, describing its children as the most precious possession of the state to build its future and strengthen its leadership, which makes it necessary to meet their needs. and requirements, and give them the opportunity to reach the highest positions. The participants in the “Twenty” summit and its preparations did not forget that in 2016, the UAE took the lead in appointing the youngest minister in the world, His Excellency Shamma Al Mazrouei, who was chosen as Minister of Youth, in parallel with the launch of a national strategy dedicated to this category, as well as the launch of a federal institution concerned with them. With the aim of investing in their energy, building their personalities, developing the optimal environment to empower them, developing their skills, and enhancing their effective participation in the affairs of their society, country and the world at large. The successful Emirati initiatives in this field, which effectively promoted the discussions on the “youth” axis in the preparations for the “Twenty” summit in Bali, also included steps to enhance youth participation in the economic and political fields, which was embodied in the Cabinet’s decision issued in June 2019, obligating Governmental entities, institutions and companies, with the participation of members of the Emirati youth category, in their boards of directors, with no less than one member, and those who are not over 30 years old, as well as the adoption of the same council, less than a year later, the participation of dozens of young people in the membership of the boards of directors of federal entities .
health protection
The outstanding Emirati contribution to the environment has also received a great deal of attention and praise, in the context of the preparations for the summit, within the framework of the working group devoted to the environment and climate sustainability, and at its table, ways to adopt new comprehensive and flexible models to accelerate the pace of energy transformation and strengthen the economy were discussed. green, and strengthening the elements of sustainability in the environmental field. Since its establishment more than five decades ago, the UAE has been working to activate many initiatives and steps aimed at promoting the trend towards clean energy around the world, and is also keen to support efforts to reduce emissions and limit the phenomenon of climate change, thus limiting its very serious consequences. , on the whole of humanity. The country was also the first country in the region to ratify the “Paris Agreement”, which was agreed upon in 2015, making it the first global agreement reached on the climate. This agreement was at the center of the attention of the participants in the preparations for the “Twenty” summit in Bali, who discussed, within the framework of the working group on environment and climate, how to work to support the goals that this treaty seeks to achieve. This committee also discussed ways to adapt to climate change, mechanisms for flexibility in this regard, and how to seek to combine emission reduction and adaptation, in addition to combating biodiversity loss and improving air quality, all of which are files that the UAE has made great strides over the past few years. On the way to deal with it efficiently, through projects it implemented at home and abroad, with investments worth tens of billions of dollars. The intensive Emirati effort, which was made in terms of facing environmental and climate challenges, which was discussed in preparation for the “Twenty” summit in Bali, was not separated from the resources devoted by the state to protect public health and deal with various health threats, which in turn were a subject of discussion, on the A working group table, which was assigned to this file, in light of the direct link between achieving stability and economic prosperity, and building societies whose children enjoy healthy and sound lives.
This insightful vision was the cornerstone of the policies adopted by the UAE leadership years ago, which led to the achievement of huge qualitative leaps in the health sector, which is the most developed in the country, which led to witness the establishment of an integrated health care system for all residents on its lands. It keeps pace with the highest international standards and regulations, as certified by the World Health Organization, under whose banner the G20 countries are included.
It is also no secret to these countries, the fact that the UAE occupies the first place in the world, in the number of health facilities that have obtained international accreditation, according to the reports of the Joint International Committee, for the accreditation of health facilities known by the acronym “JCI”, which also qualified it to become among the best medical tourism destinations. In the world.
During the participation of the state delegation – headed by the Director-General of the Emirates Foundation for Health Services, Dr. Youssef Mohammed Al Serkal – in the third meeting of the health working group formed within the preparation groups for the “Group of Twenty”, the delegation stressed the need to strengthen the solidarity of member states, to meet the necessary needs in the health field, and to develop The capabilities necessary to support global health systems, provide supplies, treatments and safe and effective vaccines, and ensure their equitable access to all, in a way that contributes to supporting the sustainable development goals in the field of health.
Unique experience
Besides, the UAE’s atmosphere of coexistence, tolerance and human brotherhood, which made it a unique incubator of the values of pluralism and respect for religions and beliefs, served as a model during the discussion of the theme of religion, within the framework of the twelve axes of the ten participation groups, within the “Twenty” summit. .
In this context, the distinguished Emirati experience is unique in consolidating the rules of dialogue, understanding and acceptance of the other, which constitutes one of the most important features of the Emirati society, which includes more than two hundred different nationalities, which was embodied in Abu Dhabi’s embrace in 2019, to sign the historical “human brotherhood” document. , which calls for respect for freedom of belief, pluralism and difference; In religion, colour, gender and language. The Abrahamic Family House, which includes a mosque, a church and a synagogue under one roof, embodies a practical translation of this document, which enjoys widespread international respect, to the extent of a UN resolution adopting the fourth of February, the day it was signed, as an International Day of Brotherhood Humanity, which makes the model of this unique religious edifice visible to those who discussed the issue of religion, during the preparations for the “Twenty” summit.
educational model
On the other hand, the internationally acclaimed Emirati experience in the field of education had a special appreciation in the preparatory meetings for the summit, in light of the fact that one of the working groups formed within its framework, consisting of experts and ministers, was devoted to that vital sector, with the aim of in-depth research, on the factors that contribute In facilitating obtaining the right to it or vice versa, as well as monitoring the challenges imposed by the crisis of the outbreak of the “Corona” epidemic in this regard.
Global competitiveness reports place the UAE among the twenty most advanced and developed countries in the education sector at the international level, especially with regard to the percentage of the population with higher education, those with digital skills, and those engaged in the sectors of vocational, basic and secondary education.
In addition, the country leads the indicators related to enrollment rates in primary education, and the literacy rate, according to the World Economic Forum, and ranks first in terms of the transfer of higher education students to educational institutions based on its territory, all of which are among the axes of interest to participants in Preparation for the “Twenty” summit in Bali.
legal systems
At the same time, the accumulated Emirati experiences in the field of combating corruption, which qualified the country to be the first in the Arab world in this field and to occupy an advanced position on the international scene, did not miss the discussions of a working group devoted to this file in the framework of the preparations for the upcoming “Twenty” summit. With the aim of setting the minimum standards that must be met, in the legal and judicial systems of the countries of the group, in order to combat this scourge.
Observers praised the great and pioneering role played by the UAE in this regard, especially after it took the initiative in 2005 to sign the United Nations Convention against Corruption, and ratified it the following year, which led the world to unanimously agree that its lands would host the work of the Eighth Conference of States. The parties to this agreement, a conference that witnessed the launch of two initiatives by the state, the first of which is to establish a joint working base between the supreme audit and accounting agencies and anti-corruption agencies in the world, and the second aimed at activating the role of youth at that level.
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