FOCP, UAE awards enhance global cachet

Few countries can match the UAE’s achievements. It has not only scored high in levels of comfortable living and safety, but also has increased its ranking in government development indices by a few notches.

Most notably, the UAE ranked first globally on the Absence of Bureaucracy indicator and second on the Adaptability of Government Policy indicator in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, while coming in third on the Government Responsiveness to Change indicator and fourth on the Government Long-term Vision indicator, according to the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

It is not just the country that is bagging international awards, even its humanitarian organisations have been getting feted for their excellent work. The Sharjah-based charity Friends Of Cancer Patients has scooped the prestigious Global Good Governance (3G) Awards 2021 for the third time since 2017, winning in two categories,

‘3G Leadership Award for Social Sector & Philanthropy’ and ‘3G Best Community Service Award’.

FOCP has received these global honours in recognition of its hugely impactful efforts to raise strong public awareness and advocacy on the risks and types of cancer as well as coalescing support from individuals and organisations in both public and private sectors to raise funds to help cancer patients who are unable to afford high treatment costs.

Its annual pan-UAE Pink Caravan Ride breast cancer awareness campaign has offered free medical screenings to over 11,007 citizens and residents in a bid to sensitise them about the importance of early detection.

The UAE was ranked 11th globally and first in the Arab region in the Bloomberg index of the most resilient countries that managed the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, achieving 66.4 points in March 2021.The COVID-19 Resilience Ranking uses a wide range of data to capture where the pandemic is being handled most effectively, with the least social and economic disruption from mortality and testing rates to vaccine access and freedom of movement.

The set of procedures implemented by the UAE during its hosting of several events this year and its future agenda for the Expo 2020 Dubai reflect its post-coronavirus (COVID-19) reality.

The UAE has a proactive mindset, adopting state-of-the-art technological and digital solutions, and shifting smoothly to top-notch remote work and distance learning systems. Such measures guarantee the continuity of government work and enable various community members to adapt quickly to the change and overcome the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the dire conditions witnessed by many regions around the world resulting from the pandemic, the UAE has stayed strong and firm, resilient as ever. It has managed to draft a road to recovery, by implementing several steps that helped it identify how to return to normalcy in several sectors.

The country has now vaccinated 78.11 per cent of those eligible to take the vaccine and has performed over 49 million coronavirus tests.

The health and organisational protocols enforced by the UAE covering the education, health, aviation and hotel sectors have earned the world’s confidence and ensured its ability to host major international events.

Its prominent tourism stature has also been a key factor that has made it a favourite destination for major events in various sectors. It has bucked global sliding trends in travel and emerged successful.

All this is thanks to the stewardship and guidance of the UAE’s venerable leaders. This has enabled the UAE Government to continue its success story, despite the unprecedented circumstances and rapid changes the world witnessed over the past year.