Monday, November 23, 2015

Recent Editorials

Here are some recent editorials I wrote for The Gulf Today. (Posted for my records) 

UAE marches ahead in
women empowerment

The appointment of Dr Amal Abdullah Juma Karam Al Qubaisi as Chairperson of the Federal National Council (FNC) is another clear indication that the UAE leads the way as a role model in the region when it comes to women’s empowerment.
Emirati women have already been advancing in multiple fields and their march of progress commenced right with the foundation of the state.
This is the first time, however, that a woman will hold the post of FNC chairperson since the nation's inception in 1971. This is also a first among the Gulf Co-operation Council member states.
It may be recalled that Dr Al Qubaisi became the first woman to be elected to the UAE FNC in an historic vote in 2006.
In 2011, she made history again when she was elected as the first Deputy Speaker of the FNC, and became the first woman to chair a session of the Federal National Council when she deputised for the Speaker, Mohammed Al Murr.
The UAE Constitution guarantees equal rights for men and women in accordance with the precepts of Islam.
A cursory glance at the prodigious role women play in the UAE society will reveal how Emirati women are well represented in all echelons of society, including the political arena, diplomatic corps, judiciary, media and the commercial sector.
Four women hold ministerial positions in the Cabinet, including the position of Secretary-General of the Cabinet, and women constitute 17.5 per cent of the UAE's partially elected representative body, the FNC.
Three of the UAE's ambassadors, one Consul-General and the UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York are women.
Four women have been appointed as judges, two as public prosecutors and 17 as assistant public prosecutors and marriage officials.
It is not just that. Women also serve in the armed forces (one at Brigadier level), customs and police. Women constitute 66 per cent of the public sector workforce (the average globally is 48 per cent), with 30 per cent in senior and decision-making positions, close to the level in advanced countries.
One should not forget that it was Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE, who laid the foundation for such a progressive path for women by stating, "Islam affords women their rightful status, and encourages them to work in all sectors, as long as they are afforded appropriate respect.”

Intensify efforts to
eradicate terrorism

There is a dire need for the international community to redouble its efforts to eradicate terrorism and to rid the world of its evils that threaten world peace and security, as suggested by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, at the Group of Twenty (G20) summit.
Horrible crimes such as the ones in Paris come from sick minds that seek to spread chaos throughout the world through the killing of innocent people for no reason.
As King Salman accurately mentioned, the war on terrorism is the responsibility of the entire international community. Terrorism is a global disease that has neither nationality nor religion. It, as well as its funding, must be fought.
The rise in terrorism undoubtedly undermines peace and security and endangers efforts to strengthen the global economy.
In a move that shows its commendable commitment in the global fight against terror, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has not only proposed the establishment of the International Centre for the Fight against Terrorism under the United Nations umbrella, but has also donated $110 million for the purpose.
Other countries need to heed King Salman’s call to contribute to and support the organisation so as to make it an international centre for the exchange of terrorism information and research.
It is good to note that the G20 Leaders agreed to show resolute stance in the fight against terrorism. The statement issued after a meeting in the Antalya province of Turkey by the leaders of the world's 20 biggest economies has appropriately stressed that terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality or ethnic group.
The discovery of a Syrian passport near the body of one of the Paris attackers does raise fears that some of the assailants might have entered Europe as part of the huge influx of people fleeing Syria's civil war. However, this should not be a reason to let genuine refugee seekers and migrants suffer.
The continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by Daesh should not be allowed to intimidate the international community, but strengthen the resolve that there has to be a common effort amongst governments and institutions to counter such enemies of humanity.
The terrorists should be left in no doubt that the world community stands together against them.
The heinous action of the terrorist groups and their counterparts represent epidemics that must be eradicated by civilised societies without any delay.

Do not slam the door
on genuine refugees

Top United Nations officials are absolutely correct when they say that Paris and Beirut terror attacks should not be used as a pretext to slam the doors on genuine refugees and migrants.
Balkan countries have already begun filtering the flow of migrants, granting passage to those fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Afghanistan, but turning back thousands from Africa and Asia.
New border controls in the western Balkans are leaving migrants stranded behind barbed wire as temperatures start to plunge.
UN officials have stated that the measures by Macedonia, Serbia and other states are creating tension at border crossings and leaving some families stranded without adequate shelter.
Children, who account for a growing percentage of the migrants, are particularly at risk from the plunging temperatures.
It is as yet unclear how many children are on the move, but some 214,000 children are currently seeking asylum in Europe, according to Unicef.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has indicated that more than 4,000 refugees and migrants have streamed into Europe each day in November, adding to the influx of 846,000 people - many of them Syrians fleeing war.
Plunging temperatures pose a major challenge putting lives of thousands at risk.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson echoed the sentiments of all peace-loving people when he remarked, ““Those who flee this violence should not be punished twice – first by war or oppressive forces which persecute them at home. And, second, by unjust, dangerous stigma which even shockingly associate the refugees with their attackers. The refugees, if any, understand better than anyone the barbaric cruelty of violent extremism.”
The situation is indeed alarming. It is not since the end of the Second World War that so many people – more than 60 million – been forcibly displaced around the world.
What is needed is better reception centres and claims processing, creative solutions to find sufficient places of refuge through resettlement, private sponsorship, humanitarian visas, family reunification and more opportunities for local integration and access for refugees to job markets.
Europe’s current policies do not evidently rise to the challenge.
As Eliasson elucidates, sealing borders, building fences or taking a strict security approach to the movement of refugees and migrants does not solve the problem.
Instead, there is a need to expand safe and legal paths to safety for refugees and migrants that put middlemen and traffickers out of business.

Climate deal an
achievable goal

The United Nations Agency for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has declared that weather-related disasters have claimed more than 600,000 lives in the last 20 years alone and this a matter of serious concern for the international community.
It is not just that. Floods, storms and other extreme weather events have left 4.1 billion people injured, homeless or in need of emergency assistance.
It is, hence, imperative that the United Nations climate change conference, widely known as COP21, must be a turning point towards a low-emission, climate-resilient future when it starts in a week’s time in Paris.
The talks on Nov.30 are tasked with crafting a 195-nation pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the latest figures, more than 166 countries, which collectively account for more than 90 per cent of emissions, have already submitted national climate plans with targets, known as the INDCs.
UN experts say that if successfully implemented, these national plans could bend the emissions curve down to a projected global temperature rise of approximately 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
Although that would mean significant progress, there is still a long way to go.
As per UNISDR data, flooding accounted for 47 per cent of all weather disasters over the last 20 years, affecting more than 2.3 billion people, the vast majority of whom live in Asia.
A full 75 per cent of the 4.1 billion people affected were in either China or India, underscoring the extent to which densely populated areas in those countries were disproportionately vulnerable.
In Copenhagen in 2009, the last time countries sought to craft a climate deal but failed, it was agreed that poorer nations vulnerable to global warming impacts would receive $100 billion per year from 2020.
The money is meant to help them give up fossil fuels and to shore up defence against climate-driven food scarcity, heat waves and storm damage.
The developing nations are seeking assurances that the flow of money will be recession-proof and come from public sources. There is less clarity as yet on this aspect.
Though world leaders have expressed their support for the COP, mere rhetoric will not help. Now the world has a chance to steer towards a low-carbon, climate resilient future. Words should be followed by action on the ground.
Nations participating in the conference should strike a landmark deal on climate change. After all, the matter involves the lives of all human beings on earth.

Diabetes poses
heavy challenge

As the international community marks the World Diabetes Day (WDD) on Saturday, there is a need to digest bitter truths about the dreaded disease.
Diabetes is a chronic ailment, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This leads to an increased concentration of glucose in the blood (hyperglycaemia).
Type 1 diabetes (previously known as insulin-dependent or childhood-onset diabetes) is characterised by a lack of insulin production.
Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes) is caused by the body’s ineffective use of insulin. It often results from excess body weight and physical inactivity.
Led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organisation in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by the disease.
Now, an alliance of 230 diabetes organisations from 160 countries has emphasised on healthy diet as the best way out to tackle the challenge.
Figures are startling. Data from the Diabetes Atlas 2015 disclosed that of the 7.3 billion world population, diabetics from the ages of 20 to 79 were estimated to range from 340 to 536 million.
Of the 1.92 billion newborns to age 14 worldwide, 20.9 million were affected by gestational diabetes (the condition arising among pregnant women), 542,000 children were estimated to be suffering from Type 1 Diabetes (the condition among the young who cannot produce insulin) as 86,000 were recorded as “newly diagnosed cases each year.”
Total deaths due to diabetes were recorded at 5 million.
For the 387 million adult population from the Middle East and North Africa, 35.4 million were estimated to be diabetics while 342,000 died due to the chronic disease.
The matter is so serious that global health spending to treat diabetes and manage complications was estimated to cost $612 billion in 2014 alone.
It is stated that the number of people with diabetes in low- and middle-income countries will continue to grow, posing a threat to sustainable development.
For example by 2035, the number of people with diabetes in the African region is expected to double.
Spreading better awareness about diabetes could a long way in helping save lives and also alleviate suffering. Eating healthy food, physical exercise and avoiding habits like smoking are among the best ways to prevent or control the disease.

Need to strengthen
global war on terror

With each passing day, it is increasingly clear, as Chinese President Xi Jinping points out, that terrorism is the common enemy of all human beings.
So much so that leaders participating at the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which normally focuses on trade and business issues, departed from convention and called on governments to urgently increase cooperation in the fight against terrorism as they wrapped up their annual talks in Manila.
The group's 21 leaders have justly vowed to prevent terrorism from undermining values that underpin their economies, with the summit declaration strongly condemning all acts, methods, and practices of terrorism.
The terrorists are responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, and without regard to any basic value of humanity.
The most recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad, last month’s apparent bombing of a Russian plane over Egypt, and the mounting threat from Daesh, which controls large swathes of Syria and Iraq, highlight the need for a strong and united global effort to eliminate the scourge.
The Daesh group’s latest crime against humanity came in the form of its killing two hostages, Chinese Fan Jinghui and Norwegian Ole-Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad.
While the Norwegian prime minister's office is still verifying the photographs, China has confirmed Fan's “inhuman” death in a statement posted on the foreign ministry website and vowed to bring his killers to justice.
The global war against terror should be relentless, but there is also a need for caution on the part of Western nations in the sense that innocent refugees or migrants should not be targeted for hate crime.
Many refugees are themselves fleeing extremism and terrorism and it is imperative that Europe treats them with compassion.
The continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by Daesh should not be allowed to intimidate the international community, but strengthen the resolve that there has to be a common effort amongst governments and institutions to counter such enemies of humanity.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has stressed rightly that violent conflicts and extremism are often rooted in a mix of exclusion, inequality, mismanagement of natural resources, corruption, oppression, governance failures, and the frustration and alienation that accompany a lack of jobs and opportunities. These issues need to be addressed with all sincerity.
The international community should intensify its collective efforts to uproot terrorism and find drastic solutions to combat the phenomenon, which contravenes all human and moral values.

Israel snubs world
community again

In yet another snub to the international community and Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has approved the marketing of land for the construction of 436 homes in Ramat Shlomo and another 18 in Ramot in East Jerusalem.
The building of the housing units in the settlement of Ramat Shlomo on land Israel occupied in 1967 was approved in 2012. But the project was later frozen in an attempt to avoid friction with Washington.
The latest move is a slap in the face of Israel’s close ally, America, especially because US Vice-President Joe Biden had publicly chided Israel when construction plans for Ramat Shlomo, which is in territory Palestinians seek for a future state, were first announced in 2010 while he was visiting occupied Jerusalem.
Israel’s continuation of settlement-building is a blatant violation of international law primarily aimed at preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Just on Monday, Robert Piper, UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, cautioned that Israeli demolitions of Palestinian homes violated international law.
Peaceful protests against demolitions are answered with bullets. On Monday, two Palestinians were killed and nine others injured while protesting against the demolitions. Twenty Palestinians, eight of them children, have been left homeless in four days.
Since June 1, 2014, the Israeli authorities have demolished, sealed or destroyed with explosives 16 structures, displacing 90 Palestinians, including 51 children, according to the UN.
In addition, at least 12 adjacent apartments were damaged, temporarily displacing at least 55 people.
The continuing demolitions fuel a sense of despair among innocent Palestinians for which Israel holds sole responsibility.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rightly stated recently that the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, are the worst and most critical since 1948 as a result of the Israeli occupation and practices.
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton had also recently stressed that settlement construction is illegal under international law and further complicates efforts to find a solution to end the conflict.
The present situation calls for a decisive intervention by the international community to rein in the occupation forces before it is too late.
The demolition of Palestinian homes by the Israelis is a violation of the most basic human rights and will only aggravate the security situation. Such demolitions are unjust since innocent people are left to suffer for the acts of others. 

Monday, November 9, 2015

Time ripe for stronger Thai-Emirati ties



(My article along with colleague Mariecar Jara-Puyod in The Gulf Today)
SHARJAH: Thailand is focusing on infrastructure development, and the time is ripe for the UAE and organisations like DP World to step in with investments on upcoming deep seaport projects there.
Thailand’s Ambassador to the UAE Warawudh Chuwiruch said this during a meeting with Aysha Taryam, Editor in Chief of The Gulf Today, and senior members of the editorial team at the Dar Al Khaleej Printing and Publishing house in Sharjah on Sunday morning. He noted that activities are ongoing to develop new deep seaports in places like Songkla and Pak Bara on the southwest border of the Southeast Asian kingdom near Malaysia.
Chuwiruch also discussed the progress of Abu Dhabi-Bangkok diplomatic relations, as it approaches its 40th anniversary in December.
There are approximately 12,000 Thais residing in the UAE, with 40 Muslim students under scholarship grants by the UAE government.
Saying that Emiratis feel at home while visiting his home country, the ambassador mentioned the Chiva-Som international resort in Hua Hin, which is increasingly drawing tourist attention.
“Several visitors, including royals, filmstars, dignitaries and CEOs, have told me that those who visit this place surely return for another trip owing to the exhilarating ambience there,” Chuwiruch said.
He added, “There is so much peace of mind and a healthy surrounding that tourists love this place.”
On new tourism destinations, Chuwiruch mentioned a recently-discovered lake in the northeastern part of the country, said to be perennially pink due to the lotus in full bloom throughout the year.
He volunteered that taking a trip to this new tourist attraction is in his books. 
On possible UAE investments in Thailand’s seaports, he said doing so will change the trading geography of Southeast Asia in less than four years.
The project would give shippers direct sea access to the Middle East and North Africa, as it would also offer entry to Europe through the Suez Canal.
The ambassador traced the beginnings of Abu Dhabi-Bangkok diplomatic relations in January 1992, when the Royal Consulate General of Thailand in Dubai was inaugurated, to be followed by the opening of the Royal Embassy of Thailand (RET) in the capital on Nov.3, 1994.
The UAE Embassy in Bangkok was launched in April 1998. Various agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) are being negotiated between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok for more enhanced “mutual prosperity and sustainability”.
These include the Agreement on Extradition, Agreement on Cooperation and Commercial Matters, Cultural Agreement, Agreement on the Exemption of Visa for Holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports, and the MoU on Combating Trafficking in Person.  
In case of food shortage or similar scenarios, Thailand is “committed to provide the UAE with vital food items in an immediate manner.”
UAE health authorities are scheduled to visit Thailand in 2016 to check on medical tourism.
Chuwiruch said, “Under the international framework, both Thailand and the UAE are committed to supporting the peace, stability and prosperity of the international community.”
“We have worked bilaterally, as well as through the regional and the United Nations framework, to achieve these goals,” he added.
Chuwiruch highlighted the significance of the role people play in the promotion of amity and unity among nations.
Thais in the UAE, as “social ambassadors”, are encouraged to represent their homeland in various cultural activities through the various cultural entities across the emirates.
For the Nov.25 to Dec.5 UAE National Day celebrations, a traditional Thai troupe will perform across the country, courtesy of the RET and the UAE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development.
“They are Muslims and they are so happy to be able to come to the UAE to learn traditional Arabian culture, too,” he said.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Recent Editorials

Here are some editorials I wrote for The Gulf Today. (Posted for my records) 

A vote for liberal
voice in Canada
 
Monday's decisive win by Justin Trudeau, the 43-year-old son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, has ended nearly a decade of Stephen Harper's Conservative rule in Canada.
The unswerving message from the verdict is that it’s good-bye time for hardline politics. Jubilation is especially visible on the social media where several people have hailed the vote for change towards a liberal political course.
Trudeau swept to victory with 39.5 per cent of the popular vote by promising forward-thinking and positive changes that will make every Canadian proud.
And with the election victory, the challenge for him to convert words into deeds has begun instantly.
Trudeau's policies differ dramatically from his predecessor. The first major shift came on Tuesday itself when Trudeau announced he had spoken with President Barack Obama and told him he would remove Canada's six fighter jets from the US-led bombing campaign against the Daesh group in Iraq and Syria.
There are other major issues where Trudeau differs from Harper: climate change, immigration and whether relations with the US should hinge on the future of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The new leader posted on Facebook: “It’s time for Canada to once again work constructively with its allies. A new Liberal government will do just that.”
To those who worry that Canada has lost its compassionate and constructive voice in the world over the past 10 years, the prime minister-elect promised, “On behalf of 35 million Canadians, we're back."
The elections turned out to be a sort of referendum on Harper's autocratic style.
The reasons are obvious. Harper drastically altered Canada’s foreign policy, transforming it from an impartial arbiter to an assertive power with its own agenda, including vociferous support for Israel and refocusing aid from Africa to South America.
It’s not just that. Under Harper, the country lost a bid for a rotating UN Security Council seat and failed to get US approval for a pan-continental oil pipeline proposed in 2008. Canada, under him, pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, the emissions reduction programme for rich countries, leaving environmentalists aghast.
In contrast, Trudeau has displayed a humane face vowing to significantly boost Canada’s intake of Syrian refugees, more than doubling it to 25,000 by year end.
The new leader has struck a chord with Canadians weary of years of hardline rule. Though the task on hand is too huge for the new charismatic leader, there is valid reason for optimism and cheer among Canadians.
 
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Israel a barrier to
regional peace

Ahmed Abdul Rehman Al Jarman, Assistant Foreign Minister of the UAE for Political Affairs, has hit the nail on the head by stating at the Council of the Arab League's consultative meeting of permanent representatives that an enduring solution to the Palestinian issue is the only way to preserve stability in the region.
The UAE’s proposal to the Arab League Council to hold an emergency meeting at the foreign ministers' level is totally justified considering the present volatile situation created by Israeli forces.
There is a definite need to put an end to the provocative acts committed by Israel in the occupied territories and hold Israel accountable for continuous violations.
Also, the need to take advantage of the current momentum of international support to benefit the just Palestinian cause and move towards putting an end to Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories should never ever be underestimated.
With Israeli atrocities continuing to fuel anger worldwide, inflammatory rhetoric from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s team never ceases.
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely has the audacity to declare that it is her "dream to see the Israeli flag flying" over Al Aqsa mosque compound.
An increase in Jewish visitors to the site, some of whom secretly pray there despite it being forbidden, and inflammatory statements by politicians, have added to the tensions.
It should be noted that Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of 56 Palestinians this month alone.
What Israel forgets is that the world is watching. Hundreds of British academics who have declared that they will boycott contact with Israeli universities over the state's intolerable human rights violations deserve commendation, as they are standing up for a just cause. 
The 343 academics from 72 institutions have promised that they would not accept invitations to visit Israeli academic institutions, participate in conferences funded, organised or sponsored by them.
They would maintain this position until the state of Israel complies with international law and respects universal principles of human rights.
As Al Jarman aptly noted, the continued Israeli occupation and lack of settlement for the Palestinian cause through the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-June 1967 borders with Eastern Jerusalem as its capital, in line with international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, are the main factors of regional instability.
The implication is that without finding a permanent and just solution to the Palestinian issue, the region will undoubtedly continue to suffer chaos, violence and instability.

End of one-child policy
in China a sensible step
 
The announcement by China to end its one-child policy is a huge step forward, especially because of its mostly brutal enforcement, including forced abortions and sterilisations.
In fact, the retrograde policy has left the country with an ageing population and shrinking workforce, heightening the challenges of slowing growth.
The policy is said to have prevented an estimated 400 million births in the world's most populous country, where 1.37 billion people live today.
Nevertheless, it is not that Chinese citizens are gleefully cheering the announcement or jumping in joy.
The situation has reached such a stage that many young Chinese see more costs than benefits in having a second child.
Career aspirations and rising urbanisation in an increasingly wealthy society are among the factors that have shaped the new line of thinking of Chinese citizens.
Interestingly, a survey on Chinese media site Sina with over 160,000 respondents found that less than 29 per cent would have a second child, and social media users seemed to meet Thursday's announcement with a collective shrug.
By Friday evening, the subject is said to have dropped out of the top 10 topics on popular micro-blog site Sina Weibo.
The one-child policy, officially the family planning policy, was a population control measure of China in effect from 1979 to 2015. The term "one-child" is in a way inaccurate as the policy allowed many exceptions and ethnic minorities in China were exempt.
Violators who could afford to pay the fines were able to have a second child, or even more. Renowned film director Zhang Yimou paid a $1.2 million fine for having three extra children.
Until the 1960s, the government encouraged families to have as many children as possible because the Mao Zedong leadership believed that population growth empowered the country.
The population grew from around 540 million in 1949 to 940 million in 1976.
There are still fears that the new policy will not end the principle of government control over reproduction and that forced sterilisations and abortions may continue so long as there remain caps on family size.
Such worries need to be addressed.
State news agency Xinhua has indicated that the historic change is intended to balance population development and address the challenge of an ageing population.
Whatsoever, Beijing’s decision is surely a major liberalisation of the country's family planning restrictions, a step that moves towards empowering citizens and improving their rights.
It came a little late, but it’s better late than never.

UAE, perfect place
for professionals
 
The UAE is known to be a global leader in attracting talent and another major survey has reconfirmed this fact.
According to the Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 conducted by World Economic Forum, more than 1,000 young people aged between 20 and 30 from around the globe ranked the UAE as the number one emerging market destination for professional fulfillment.
Interestingly, the respondents chose the Emirates as the number one emerging market destination over China, Brazil, South Africa and India, despite the massive scale of the powerhouse BRICS economies.
A cursory look at the country’s economic achievements will make every citizen and resident proud.
Earlier surveys had indicated that the UAE topped globally in quality of the roads and the absence of organised crime and also ranked first globally for having the lowest rate of inflation.
In August, the country was rated as the most popular work destination in the Middle East by jobs portal www.naukrigulf.com
As Yemi Babington-Ashaye, Head of the Global Shapers Community, lucidly explained, "The Global Shapers Annual Survey 2015 provides insights into how millennials see the world. In addition to the diversity that we observe, the survey also reminds us of those things that millennials value everywhere, such as social and economic equality.”
By choosing the UAE as the top emerging-markets destination, millennials are selecting a country that is very serious about professional advancement.
It may be recalled that just two months ago, LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network on the Internet, named the UAE as the most attractive destination for professionals for a second consecutive year.
By analysing every new position that was added to member profiles between Jan.1, 2014, and Dec.31, 2014, LinkedIn determined that the UAE attracted the most talent, gaining 1.89 per cent as a percentage of its total workforce.
Talent flows naturally to countries that create a conducive and pleasant environment for economic growth. The UAE well recognises this fact and the results are showing.
There can be little doubt that innovation and progressive approach are what have elevated the country among the world’s best nations. A stable economy and vibrant opportunities that come along with business-friendly practices also make it a perfect place for professionals.
The credit for the stupendous performance goes to the visionary leadership that has implemented impressive and successful policies. It is also due to the people’s high degree of trust in the government and safety and security in the UAE.