The UAE has presented a review of its progress in meeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to end poverty, protect the environment and achieve equality, peace and prosperity.
The 17 SDGs, which include the goals of quality education and decent work and economic growth, are part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Abdullah Lootah, vice-chair of the UAE’s National Committee on SDGs and director general of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, delivered a presentation at the UN’s High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which was established to review progress at both global and national levels on the implementation of SDGs.
Mr Lootah spoke about activities and efforts made by the National Committee on SDGs since its establishment in early 2017, aligning and integrating the SDGs with the UAE’s national development agenda.
“The pace with which the UAE has adopted and commenced implementation of the SDG framework is a testament to the level of the country’s ambition to pursue a trajectory of sustainable development,” he said.
Meeting the SDG milestones by 2030 is only the start, he said.
“The SDGs are part of a continuum of outcomes that the UAE aims to achieve in the coming years,” said Mr Lootah.
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Last year, the UAE was recognised by the OECD is being as the world’s largest per capita donor, contributing 1.31 per cent of its gross national income as Official Development Assistance. The country has reoriented its foreign aid program to align with the SDGs.
“To achieve the SDGs, we must collaborate to give hope for a better future to countries and communities where pain, suffering and anguish prevails,” said Mr Lootah.
He also spoke about UAE initiatives that support the implementation of the SDGs, such as The Global Councils on SDGs, which brings together decision makers from government, academia, civil society, and the private sector to address the world’s most pressing development challenges.
There will be a separate Global Council to address each of the 17 SDGs. Nine Global Councils were launched at the sidelines of the High Level Political Forum, and work to create the remaining eight is ongoing.
“The Global Councils are designed to create partnerships across sectors, develop innovative solutions, and leverage global best practices towards implementing the SDGs,” said Lana Nusseibeh, ambassador and permanent representative of the UAE to the UN, at the event, which was hosted by the UAE, the World Bank Group and the International Renewable Energy Agency.
Mr Lootah said the councils underscore the power of partnership and work that can be achieved by working together toward common goals.
“Our hope is that the work of these councils spur action to get the world on track to achieving the 2030 Agenda,” he said.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
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Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
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