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Category: Leaders, on the World Stage – All Others
The African Union (AU) selected Fathallah Sijilmassi from a wide panel of high-level candidates to become the first Director General in the history of the AU Commission.
His appointment follows his previous international obligations as Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Born in 1966, the Moroccan politician and diplomat holds a PhD in economics from the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies in France.
He occupied different positions within Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation such as Director of Multilateral Cooperation and Director of European Affairs.
He was appointed as the Moroccan ambassador to France from 2004 to 2008 and upon his return to Morocco, King Mohammed VI named him director of the Moroccan Investment and Trade Agency (AMDIE) in 2009.
Sijilmassi had also been head of the Moroccan mission to the European Union (EU) and was also ambassador of Morocco in charge of the Barcelona Process and the Mediterranean dialogue of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Fathallah Sijilmassi has been awarded both the French orders ‘Legion of Honor’ and ‘Ordre national du Merite’.
His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb and His Holiness Pope Francis have received their respective Zayed Award for Human Fraternity trophies.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is an independent global award recognising individuals and entities who are making profound contributions to human progress and peaceful coexistence.
The award was established in February 2019 to mark the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Professor Ahmed Al-Tayeb, in Abu Dhabi, where the two religious leaders signed the historic Document on Human Fraternity – under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan , Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and patron of human fraternity – and became the first honourary recipients of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity.
The trophies were presented by Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso, meeting chairperson of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity (HCHF) and Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary-General of HCHF.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is named in honour of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founder of the United Arab Emirates. The values the award celebrates reflect Sheikh Zayed’s dedication to working closely with people from all backgrounds, his moral legacy, humanitarianism, and respect for others and helping them, regardless of their religion, gender, race, or nationality.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is decided every year by an independent judging committee, appointed by the HCHF. Earlier this week, members of the 2022 judging committee held meetings with Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in Vatican City and Rome, respectively.
The independent Zayed Award for Human Fraternity 2022 judging committee includes Mahamadou Issoufou, former president of Niger and winner of the 2020 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership; José Ramos-Horta, the 1996 Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of East Timor; Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa and former UN Under-Secretary-General; Cardinal Michael Czerny, Under-secretary of the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Holy See; Dr. Leah Pisar, president of the Aladdin Project; and Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, Secretary General of the Higher Committee on Human Fraternity (HCHF).
Mohamed Hassan, Physical Health Engineer at the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, has won the Asia and the Middle East seat in the International Electrotechnical Commission’s Young Professionals Programme (IEC YPP).
The UAE nominated four candidates in security, services, nuclear energy, oil and gas, renewable energy, industry and telecommunications for the IEC YPP, which was an integral part of the 85th General Assembly of the IEC.
The event was hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and took place in Dubai between 3rd and 7th October, 2021.
The IEC provides a global institutional framework that encourages global cooperation between 172 countries (89 members and 83 affiliates) and more than 20,000 technical experts, who come together to discuss, shape and enhance the field of standards, specifications and certifications in electrical and electronic devices and systems.
Faisal Al Rahmani was unanimously re-elected as the Chairman of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing (IFAHR), the global organization for the promotion of Arabian Horse Racing, during the meeting of its General Assembly held in Paris today.
The Emirati nominee received all 26 votes from member states of IFAHR’s Executive Office, winning a second four-year term from 2021 to 2025.
“My re-election for the chairmanship of IFAHR is the outcome of the support and directives of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs , and his leading role in implementing development plans for activities involving Arabian Horses,” he said.
The Muslim Coordination Council is a conglomeration of Germany’s largest Islamic advocacy groups.
Germany’s largest Islamic advocacy platform has announced that Moroccan-German national Abdassamad El Yazidi is now the group’s official spokesman.
Starting Friday, October 1, El Yazidi will publicly represent the Muslim Coordination Council, according to German news source Deutschlandfunk. El Yazidi announced that his plans as the group’s new spokesperson is to “make a contribution to critical and constructive talks and reduce prejudice and resentment against Muslims and their organizations.”
Prior to his current role, El Yazidi led the Central Council of Muslims in Germany as its Secretary-General. The Central Council of Muslims is one of the organizations that cooperated under the Muslim Coordination Council to further the interests of Muslims in Germany.
source/content: moroccoworldnews.com
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Prior to his current role, El Yazidi led the Central Council of Muslims in Germany as its Secretary-General. Photo Credit: Frankfurter Allgemeine / moroccoworldnews.com
Expo 2020 is officially inaugurated, announcing that Dubai is open, the UAE is open.
It was a celebration of hope. It was also a sneak peek at the future; a showcase of innovation, cultural diversity and a reflection of how people coming together can change the world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, led in welcoming cultures from East to West, from North to South – of 192 countries that gathered not only to participate in the world’s greatest show but also to forge unity and convey the story of Expo’s overarching theme – ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, officially opened the Expo which will run until March 31 next year. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, set the tone of the global event.
Ahead of the official Opening Ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed said: “The nation is proud of the 10-year preparations for the largest global event that will last for six months, with the participation of 192 countries, underscoring the international trust in our country.”
Welcome everyone
Sheikh Mohammed underlined: “Once again, the UAE people have demonstrated their unique ability to excel in every task when serving humanity. We have proven to the world the UAE is a fruitful tree that can welcome everyone who dreams of a better future for this planet.”
“With the launch of the Expo, I remember the late founding fathers Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and I would say to them, this is your legacy, and this international trust is the outcome of your far-sighted vision and determination to overcome challenges. Today, the world is being inspired by this vision. Civilisations are established and developed by challenges. That was the first and key lesson we learnt from you, which we convey to future generations and present to the world today,” he added.
“You are home, and our development experience is at your service,” Sheikh Mohammed continued. “We have one shared destiny and our peoples are anticipating the strengthening of international cooperation to change their reality into a brighter and more sustainable one, as well as to establish a roadmap for the key economic, developmental and cultural trends for the post-COVID era. We hope that the start of the event will be the breakthrough in terms of cooperation, tolerance and peace.”
Sheikh Nahyan echoed the same ideals during his welcome speech. He noted: “Today, in the year of our Golden Jubilee, we share with the world the lessons we have learnt, most importantly that by connecting minds, we are able to achieve milestones others thought were impossible.
“Today, 192 nations come together, each represented by its own pavilion – a first in the 170-year history of World Expos. Our mere presence here, amid all the challenges the world is facing, is proof of our keen commitment and desire to make the world a better place for all.
“By hosting Expo2020 Dubai, we aim to convey a message of tolerance and that we are willing to collaborate with all of the world. Today, we say to the whole world: Welcome to the UAE and welcome to Expo 2020 Dubai.”
“We will convey – from the UAE to the world – on our 50th anniversary a message of tolerance, coexistence and peace; a message of progress, prosperity and growth; a message of brotherhood, happiness and an unwavering will to create a brighter future for everyone.
The International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF), an international organisation that includes 110 clubs and agencies that are concerned with falcon hunting, where this organisation represents 90 countries, with which over 100,000 falconers around the world are affiliated, has announced the unanimous re-election of Majid Ali Al Mansouri – Secretary-General of the Emirates Falconers’ Club – as President of the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF).
Al Mansouri has been unanimously re-elected for 3 new years effective beginning of 2022, which was at the conclusion of the IAF General Assembly agenda. This assembly was held on the sidelines of the International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (Abu Dhabi 2021) activities, and with the unanimous decision of all (IAF) members.
Among his key achievements in the leadership of the (IAF) is the representation of falconers all over the world, and the follow-up to the establishment of falconry clubs in Luxembourg, Finland, and Norway.
Majid Ali Al Mansouri co-founded the Emirates Falconers’ Club in 2001, and he is a member of the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC). Moreover, he had a leading role – in parallel with his previous position as the Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) – in strengthening efforts to implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Since 2003, he has contributed to the fact that the Emirates Falconers’ Club organises the Abu Dhabi International Hunting & Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX) on an annual basis, which is the largest of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa.
In addition, he also contributed to reviving the organisation of the International Festival of Falconry starting 2011, and establishment of the Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Falconry and Desert Physiognomy School in 2016 with the aim of raising awareness about falconry as a common heritage of mankind.
Tunisia’s President named geologist Najla Bouden as the country’s first ever female prime minister-designate.
Ms Bouden is the first woman to hold the position in Tunisia’s history and the first female prime minister in the Arab world.
Born in 1958 in the central Kairouan governorate, Ms Bouden is a professor of higher education at the National Engineering School in Tunis, specialising in geosciences.
A political outsider, Ms Bouden will leave her current role of running a plan to carry out World Bank programmes at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Since 2011, she has served as director general in charge of quality at the Higher Education Ministry.
She also held the position of head of the Purpose Action Unit in the same ministry, and was assigned a task at the office of the then higher education minister, Shehab Boden, in 2015.
Ms Bouden will be Mr Saied’s fourth head of government since he took office in autumn 2019, and the third he appointed personally.
source/content: thenationalnews.com
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Tunisia’s president named Najla Bouden as the country’s first ever female prime minister. AFP / pix: thenationalnews.com
Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE). Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam (Egypt).
Osama Al Shafar, President of the Asian Cycling Confederation, Member of the Executive Office of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCE), has been elected Vice-President of UCI in Leuven, Belgium.
In line with a modification to the UCI Constitution approved earlier in the day by its Congress, the UCI now counts at least one Vice-President of each gender, for a total of four Vice-Presidents-compared with three previously. The Vice-Presidents elected are: -Osama Ahmed Abdullah Al Shafar (UAE), President of the Asian Cycling Confederation.
Dr Mohamed Wagih Azzam / pix: cac-africa.com
–Dr Mohamed Wagih AZZAM (EGY), President of the Confédération Africaine de Cyclisme.
-Katerina NASH (CZE), President of the UCI Athletes’ Commission.
-Enrico DELLA CASA (ITA), President of the Union Européenne de Cyclisme (UEC).
Their term begins immediately and will finish after the 2025 UCI Congress.
Al Shafar -now the first president of the Asian Confederation to hold the position- after a successful sporting career spanning over 20 years.
Egyptian president launches charity caravan that earned 3 Guinness Records titles.
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi launched Sunday Long Live Egypt Fund’s charity caravan targeted at the most one million low-income families, and that garnered three Guinness Records titles.
Those are the world’s largest food donation,largest medical equipment donation, and largest home appliance donation.
A ceremony dubbed “Charity Doors” was held in the New Administrative Capital on the occasion. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli stated that the caravan – prepared in collaboration with civil society – is worth LE650 million.
The prime minister added that the caravan is mainly intended to deliver one million food boxes for the most low-income families benefiting a total of five million citizens. A Long Live Egypt Fund official also noted that the caravan offers 6,298 medical equipment, and home appliances.
The fund has already been providing food boxes, clothes, and medical equipment, and partnered up with Orman Charity Association to build hundreds of houses at 556 rural villages and carry out thousands of cataract surgeries.
Later, President Sisi checked on the components of the world’s largest charity caravan.
Speaking of medical equipment, there are devices measuring insulin level in blood, neonatal intensive care units, laparoscopy devices, and eye survey equipment. There are also medicines and clothes.
As for the food boxes, they contain two kilos of each of sugar and pasta as well as two packs of tea among others.
Further, the president checked the furniture and home appliances used in the furnishing of residential units distributed among low-income families in return for a symbolic monthly rent.
