510000 Vaccine Doses Administered in Qatar

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

510000 Vaccine Doses Administered in Qatar BUSINESS | Page 1 QATAR | Page 7 Qatar education QGBC launches system ‘on par’ with Al Tadweer developed nations: programme Alpen Capital for recycling benchmark in Qatar published in QATAR since 1978 WEDNESDAY Vol. XXXXII No. 11855 March 17, 2021 Sha’aban 4, 1442 AH GULF TIMES www. gulf-times.com 2 Riyals PM, Saudi interior Amir visits Milipol Qatar 2021 minister review ties in phone call HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani held yesterday a telephone call with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. At the beginning of the call, HE the Prime Minister conveyed the greetings of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, wishing them good health and the Saudi people progress and development. For his part, the Saudi interior minister conveyed the greetings of the Saudi king and the crown prince to the Amir, wishing him success and rectitude, and the Qatari people further progress His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visited yesterday the 13th edition of international exhibition for homeland security and civil defence (Milipol Qatar 2021) at the Doha Exhibition and and prosperity. The call dealt Convention Centre. The Amir was briefed on the pavilions and sections of the exhibition as well as the latest innovations and technologies exhibited by local and international companies in the fields of with reviewing fraternal relations security, safety, cybersecurity and civil defence devices and equipment, and major event security management, in addition to a number of modern military armoured vehicles, weapons and armoured cars. between the two countries and the His Highness the Amir was accompanied by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and a number of senior off icials. (QNA) Page 12 means to enhance them, particularly in the security field. Additionally, it discussed a number of topics of joint interest. (QNA) Amir meets Iraqi foreign minister Qatar to pay $10mn to back WHO efforts ‘510,000 vaccine doses Qatar, represented by Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a Core Contribution administered in Qatar’ Agreement for $10mn to support WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work (GPW 13) and for Covid-19 O 14,000 people getting vaccinated against Covid every day: MoPH response through the Access to O 15% of Qatar’s adult population have received at least one dose Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A). This is the first Core Contribution Agreement signed between Qatar QNA each week has increased by 270% and WHO, highlighting the strong Doha and more than one in seven adults, partnership and commitment to 15% of Qatar’s adult population, work jointly to ensure that the most have now received at least one vac- vulnerable communities around he Ministry of Public Health cine dose. the world receive immediate and (MoPH) has announced that Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, Chair of unhampered assistance when it is T510,000 Covid-19 vaccine the National Health Strategic Group most needed. Page 3 doses have been administered since on Covid-19 and Head of Infectious the start of the National Vaccina- Diseases at HMC, explained that Moderna starts vaccine tion Programme in Qatar. safety has always been prioritised in Recent availability of greater the Covid-19 National Vaccination trial for children quantities of both the Moderna Programme. Drugmaker Moderna says it has and Pfi zer-BioNTech vaccines has “We were clear from the outset started Covid-19 vaccine trials for helped increase the pace of the that we only wanted to administer thousands of children aged under vaccination programme, with over internationally approved, safe and 12, a first step towards a new phase 100,000 doses being administered ple receiving the vaccine is con- eff ective vaccines for the people of the immunisation campaign each week, meaning that every day stantly rising. It is very reassur- of Qatar. Extensive clinical stud- experts say might be necessary around 14,000 of our most vulner- ing to know that more than six out ies have showed the Moderna and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met yesterday at the Amiri to stamp out the pandemic. “If we able members of society and essen- of every ten people aged 60 and Pfi zer and BioNTech vaccines to be Diwan with Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Mohamed Hussein, and the accompanying really want to get towards herd tial workers are getting vaccinated above have now received at least safe, and it is reassuring that with delegation. At the outset of the meeting, the Iraqi foreign minister conveyed the immunity, that’s going to require and becoming protected against their first dose of the vaccine, more than 500,000 vaccine doses greetings of the Iraqi President Dr Barham Salih to the Amir, wishing him continued as much as 80% of our population Covid-19, the ministry said in a with 67% of people over 70 years administered in Qatar, no reported success and the Qatari people further progress and prosperity. For his part, the Amir to be vaccinated, and we really statement. of age, and 63% of people over 60 serious side eff ects have been di- entrusted Fuad Mohamed Hussein to convey his greetings to the Iraqi President, can’t do that without vaccinating The ministry said that as it years of age having received the rectly associated with the vaccine, wishing him good health and wellness and the Iraqi people continued development children,” Lee Savio Beers, president continues to highlight the im- vaccine. and I encourage everyone to take and growth. They reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and means of the American Academy of portance of vaccination for the Since the beginning of February, the vaccine when their turn comes,” of developing them, as well as the most prominent regional and international Pediatrics said. Page 11 elderly, the number of older peo- the number of doses administered added Dr al-Khal. To Page 6 developments. (QNA) Page 5 UNDP to open office in Doha UK bans fl ights from Qatar, Oman ritain has added Qatar to its Here’s a Q&A on the latest develop- travel ‘red list’ and has banned O Aviation analyst Alex ments with Qatar being added to the Ball fl ights from Qatar from Fri- UK’s red list day early morning. Macheras examines the “Ethiopia, Oman, Somalia and Qa- Q: With Qatar being placed on the tar to be added to England’s red list,” impact of the move on UK’s red list, what does this mean? England’s Department for Transport Direct passenger flights from said. potential passengers to Doha to the UK will end on by 4am “From 4am on 19 March, direct on the 19th March 2021, until fur- fl ights from Qatar to England are pro- the UK in a Question ther notice. hibited. As per the announcement, all air- Visitors who have been in or trans- & Answer format craft carrying passengers will not be ited through Qatar in the previous 10 permitted to depart Doha bound for Qatar and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed an days cannot enter England,” British additional called the ‘red list’ which quarantine facility at a cost of £1,750 the UK. agreement to establish an off ice for the programme in Qatar. HE the Permanent Embassy in Qatar tweeted. takes these measures much, much per passenger. This will have a signifi cant impact Representative of Qatar to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Sheikha Here’s some background: All ar- further. If you are not a British citizen, or on transit passengers too, as for any Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani signed the agreement on behalf of Qatar, while rivals to the UK from anywhere in Countries already on the ‘red list’ a person with residency rights in the passengers who are fl ying via Doha to UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner signed the agreement on the UNDP’s behalf. the world must follow the following include South Africa, Brazil, and most UK, you cannot travel to the UK from a the UK (such as from Sydney to Doha The agreement comes within the framework of increasing the eff ectiveness of procedure: must test negative before of the continent of Africa. red-list country, even indirectly. to London) will now have their fi nal government-funded development programmes and strengthening co-operation departure to the UK, quarantine for Only British citizens or those with It doesn’t end there. part of the journey (Doha to London) in areas of common interest. The off ice will focus on strengthening co-operation ten days upon arrival to the UK, and residency rights in the UK are permit- Most red list countries also have one- cancelled, due to the UK’s fl ight ban between UNDP and the government of Qatar, in order to promote sustainable take two compulsory tests during the ted to travel from countries that are on way fl ight bans applied on them, mean- on Qatar. development goals at the global level and other goals that the programme seeks quarantine. the red list to the UK, and they must ing direct passenger fl ights from those Passengers will be able to obtain re- to achieve in the development field.
Recommended publications
  • Won't You Be My Neighbor
    Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Syria, Iraq and the Changing Strategic Context in the Middle East S TEVEN SIMON Council on Foreign Relations March 2009 www.usip.org Date www.usip.org UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE – WORKING PAPER Won’t You Be My Neighbor UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 1200 17th Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036-3011 © 2009 by the United States Institute of Peace. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Institute of Peace, which does not advocate specific policy positions. This is a working draft. Comments, questions, and permission to cite should be directed to the author ([email protected]) or [email protected]. This is a working draft. Comments, questions, and permission to cite should be directed to the author ([email protected]) or [email protected]. UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE – WORKING PAPER Won’t You Be My Neighbor About this Report Iraq's neighbors are playing a major role—both positive and negative—in the stabilization and reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq. In an effort to prevent conflict across Iraq's borders and in order to promote positive international and regional engagement, USIP has initiated high-level, non-official dialogue between foreign policy and national security figures from Iraq, its neighbors and the United States. The Institute’s "Iraq and its Neighbors" project has also convened a group of leading specialists on the geopolitics of the region to assess the interests and influence of the countries surrounding Iraq and to explain the impact of these transformed relationships on U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Individuals Vaccinated and Two Ballistic Missiles Towards the Cities of Najran and Khamis Mushait in the (First Dose) (Second Dose) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
    TWITTER SPORTS @newsofbahrain WORLD 6 UAE ban on entry from India unchanged, federal aviation notice says INSTAGRAM 2 Seas win at /newsofbahrain 28 Silverstone LINKEDIN MONDAY newsofbahrain JUNE, 2021 Bahraini-British mot- 210 FILS orsport team complete WHATSAPP 3844 4692 ISSUE NO. 8881 triumphant return to competition FACEBOOK /nobmedia with first place overall in blue riband event of MAIL British GT Champion- [email protected] ship | P12 WEBSITE newsofbahrain.com Britney Spears enjoying a break in Hawaii after conservatorship testimony 9 CELEBS BUSINESS 5 Indian commerce minister: ‘Arrogant’ US ecommerce giants flout our laws Getting vaccinated, booster Register shots and vaccines for 12-17 now year olds protects everyone healthalert.gov.bh Bahrain strongly Bahrain congratulates Djibouti condemns Houthi Last update - 9:00 pm attacks against leader on Independence Day Saudi Arabia 27 June 2021 TDT | Manama ahrain has strongly con- Bdemned the terrorist Houthi militia’s launch of an explosive-laden drone Individuals vaccinated and two ballistic missiles towards the cities of Najran and Khamis Mushait in the (First dose) (Second dose) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Min- HM the King HRH Prince Salman istry of Foreign Affairs de- scribed the attacks as a cow- TDT | Manama ardly aggression that targets mail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, civilians and civil institu- is Majesty King Hamad on his country’s Independence tions, and reflects the in- Hbin Isa Al Khalifa and His Day. sistence of the Houthi group Royal Highness Prince Sal- His Majesty and HRH Prince to obstruct efforts aimed at man bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Salman wished President establishing security and the Crown Prince and Prime Guelleh good health and hap- (Booster dose) stability in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • West Asia Watch Trends & Analysis
    Vol 2 Issue 1 January-February 2019 West Asia Watch Trends & Analysis West Asia Centre Editor: lEditorial Dr Meena Singh Roy lIndia's Outreach to North Africa: Advancing the India- Morocco Partnership Meena Singh Roy lThe Growing Iran-Syria Strategic Alliance Lakshmi Priya lIsrael's Knesset Election, 2019 Jatin Kumar Editorial Team: Dr Adil Rasheed lThe Hodeidah Ceasefire: Light at the End of Tunnel? Dr Prasanta Kumar Pradhan Nagapushpa Devendra Dr Md. Muddassir Quamar lGuest Column: An Algerian Spring? K. P. Fabian lWest Asia News Survey (Prepared by Centre Members) Copy Editor: Vivek Kaushik West Asia Centre Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses No. 1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi – 110 010 Tel. (91-11)2671 7983, Fax: (91-11)2615 4191 Website: http://www.idsa.in EDITORIAL In the beginning of 2019, West Asia continued with grapple with its old conflicts and problems, both internal and external, while struggling to find some solutions to its serious security and economic challenges through bilateral, regional and international cooperation. Some major changes could be noticed in US policy towards the region. In the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s announcement of the US withdrawal from Syria, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman in January 2019. His West Asia tour was an attempt to assure the US’ regional partners that firstly, Washington is not giving up its fight against the Islamic State or easing pressure on Tehran. He noted that Iran is to be countered at all costs. Secondly, he reassured Gulf partners to solidify MESA and America’s sincere attempts to end the Qatar crisis.
    [Show full text]
  • THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION IRAQ at a CROSSROADS with BARHAM SALIH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER of IRAQ Washington, D.C. Monday, October
    THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION IRAQ AT A CROSSROADS WITH BARHAM SALIH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ Washington, D.C. Monday, October 22, 2007 Introduction and Moderator: MARTIN INDYK Senior Fellow and Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy The Brookings Institution Featured Speaker: BARHAM SALIH Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq * * * * * 2 P R O C E E D I N G S MR. INDYK: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. I'm Martin Indyk, the Director of the Saban Center, and it's my pleasure to introduce this dear friend, Dr. Barham Salih, to you again. I say again because, of course, Barham Salih is a well-known personality in Washington, having served here with distinction representing the patriotic Union of Kurdistan in the 1990s, and, of course, he's been a frequent visitor since he assumed his current position as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq. He has a very distinguished record as a representative of the PUK, and the Kurdistan regional government. He has served as Deputy Prime Minister, first in the Iraqi interim government starting in 2004, and was then successfully elected to the transitional National Assembly during the January 2005 elections and joined the transitional government as Minister of Planning. He was elected again in the elections of December 2005 to the Council of Representatives, which is the Iraqi Permanent Parliament, and was then called upon to join the Iraqi government in May 2006 as Deputy Prime Minister. Throughout this period he has had special responsibility for economic affairs.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran, ISIS and U.S. Interests in an Unraveling Middle East
    CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM Diplomacy and Extremism: Iran, ISIS and U.S. Interests in an Unraveling Middle East May 26 – 31, 2015 Vol. 30, No. 3 Dan Glickman Vice President, The Aspen Institute Executive Director, Congressional Program Washington, DC This project was made possible by grants from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Democracy Fund, the Holthues Trust, the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Copyright © 2015 by The Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute One Dupont Circle, nw Washington, DC 20036-1133 Published in the United States of America in 2015 by The Aspen Institute All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 0-89843-626-5 Pub #15/015 2038/CP/BK Table of Contents Rapporteur’s Summary ..................................................................1 Karim Sadjadpour Syria, Iraq, ISIS and the Region: Implications for the U.S. ......................................9 Ryan Crocker The Geopolitics of a Changing Energy Industry..............................................13 Amy Myers Jaffe What Should We Make of the JCPOA? ....................................................17 Ariel Levite America’s Middle East Challenge .........................................................23 Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Mehrdad Saberi Nuclear Deal, the Road to Peace between Iran and the West ....................................29 Seyed Hossein Mousavian Pluses and
    [Show full text]
  • The PYD's Precarious Rise in Syria
    Flight of Icarus? The PYD’s Precarious Rise in Syria Middle East Report N°151 | 8 May 2014 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. An Opportunity Grasped .................................................................................................. 4 A. The PKK Returns to Syria .......................................................................................... 4 B. An Unspoken Alliance? .............................................................................................. 7 C. Brothers and Rivals .................................................................................................... 10 III. From Fighters to Rulers ................................................................................................... 12 A. The Rojava Project ..................................................................................................... 12 B. In Need of Protection ................................................................................................. 16 IV. Messy Geopolitics ............................................................................................................. 18 A. Turkey and
    [Show full text]
  • The Executive Survey General Information and Guidelines
    The Executive Survey General Information and Guidelines Dear Country Expert, In this section, we distinguish between the head of state (HOS) and the head of government (HOG). • The Head of State (HOS) is an individual or collective body that serves as the chief public representative of the country; his or her function could be purely ceremonial. • The Head of Government (HOG) is the chief officer(s) of the executive branch of government; the HOG may also be HOS, in which case the executive survey only pertains to the HOS. • The executive survey applies to the person who effectively holds these positions in practice. • The HOS/HOG pair will always include the effective ruler of the country, even if for a period this is the commander of foreign occupying forces. • The HOS and/or HOG must rule over a significant part of the country’s territory. • The HOS and/or HOG must be a resident of the country — governments in exile are not listed. • By implication, if you are considering a semi-sovereign territory, such as a colony or an annexed territory, the HOS and/or HOG will be a person located in the territory in question, not in the capital of the colonizing/annexing country. • Only HOSs and/or HOGs who stay in power for 100 consecutive days or more will be included in the surveys. • A country may go without a HOG but there will be no period listed with only a HOG and no HOS. • If a HOG also becomes HOS (interim or full), s/he is moved to the HOS list and removed from the HOG list for the duration of their tenure.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq: Politics and Governance
    Iraq: Politics and Governance Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs Carla E. Humud Analyst in Middle Eastern and African Affairs March 9, 2016 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RS21968 Iraq: Politics and Governance Summary Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic divisions—muted toward the end of the 2003-2011 U.S. military intervention in Iraq—are fueling a major challenge to Iraq’s stability and to U.S. policy in Iraq and the broader Middle East region. The resentment of Iraq’s Sunni Arabs toward the Shiite- dominated central government facilitated the capture in 2014 of nearly one-third of Iraqi territory by the Sunni Islamist extremist group called the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL, ISIS, or the Arabic acronym Da'esh). Iraq’s Kurds are separately embroiled in political, territorial, and economic disputes with Baghdad, but those differences have been at least temporarily subordinated to the common struggle against the Islamic State. U.S. officials assert that the Iraqi government must work to gain the loyalty of more of Iraq’s Sunnis—and to resolve differences with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)—if an eventual defeat of the Islamic State is to result in long-term stability. Prospects for greater inter- communal unity appeared to increase in 2014 with the replacement of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki with the current Prime Minister, Haydar al-Abbadi. Although both men are from the Shiite Islamist Da’wa Party, Abbadi has taken some steps to try to compromise with Sunnis and with the KRG. However, a significant point of contention with the KRG remains the KRG’s marketing of crude oil exports separately from Baghdad.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq and U.S. Policy
    Updated April 9, 2020 Iraq and U.S. Policy COVID-19, Iran-U.S. Confrontation, relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and plummeting global Protests, and Iraq’s Future oil prices are further upending the status quo. Iraqi authorities have instituted curfews and travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which Plans for Political Transition Uncertain poses serious public health, economic, and fiscal risks for Political differences among leading blocs have precluded the prompt replacement of Prime Minister Abd al Mahdi. the country. Public health measures to slow the spread of Protestors have demanded an independent candidate with a the disease have diminished participation in the protest movement that has swept central and southern Iraq since demonstrated record of honest leadership, with many rejecting President Salih’s nominees and alternatives October 2019. Security forces and militia members killed proposed by political blocs. Current Prime Minister- hundreds of protestors and wounded thousands in Baghdad and several southern Iraqi cities, fueling calls for the ouster designate Mustafa al Kadhimi has until May 9, 2020, to propose a cabinet list for approval by the Council of of the ruling elite. While crowds have dispersed, protestors’ Representatives (COR), Iraq’s unicameral legislature. demands for systemic change and an end to corruption and foreign interference remain unmet. Meanwhile, intense Figure 1. Iraq U.S.-Iranian confrontation has reinvigorated some Iraqis’ efforts to drive U.S. and other foreign forces out of Iraq. Following escalating Iran-linked threats to U.S. and Iraqi personnel in 2019, a January 2020 U.S. air strike in Iraq killed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces leader Abu Mahdi al Muhandis.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq Study Group Consultations
    CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF THE PRESIDENCY IRAQ STUDY GROUP Iraq Study Group Consultations (* denotes meeting took place in Iraq) Iraqi Officials and Representatives * Jalal Talabani - President * Tareq al-Hashemi - Vice President * Adil Abd al-Mahdi - Vice President * Nouri Kamal al-Maliki - Prime Minister * Salaam al-Zawbai - Deputy Prime Minister * Barham Salih - Deputy Prime Minister * Mahmoud al-Mashhadani - Speaker of the Parliament * Mowaffak al-Rubaie - National Security Advisor * Jawad Kadem al-Bolani - Minister of Interior * Abdul Qader Al-Obeidi - Minister of Defense * Hoshyar Zebari - Minister of Foreign Affairs * Bayan Jabr - Minister of Finance * Hussein al-Shahristani - Minster of Oil * Karim Waheed - Minister of Electricity * Akram al-Hakim - Minister of State for National Reconciliation Affairs * Mithal al-Alusi - Member, High Commission on National Reconciliation * Ayad Jamal al-Din - Member, High Commission on National Reconciliation * Ali Khalifa al-Duleimi - Member, High Commission on National Reconciliation * Sami al-Ma'ajoon - Member, High Commission on National Reconciliation * Muhammad Ahmed Mahmoud - Member, Commission on National Reconciliation * Wijdan Mikhael - Member, High Commission on National Reconciliation Lt. General Nasir Abadi - Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Joint Forces * Adnan al-Dulaimi - Head of the Tawafuq list Ali Allawi - Former Minister of Finance * Sheik Najeh al-Fetlawi - representative of Muqtada al-Sadr * Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim - Shia Coalition Leader * Sheik Maher al-Hamraa - Ayat Allah
    [Show full text]
  • Tension in the Gulf
    The Cambridge Security Initiative TENSION IN THE GULF JULY 2019 As of mid-2019, the tension between Iran and the Gulf countries, spearheaded by Saudi Arabia, has hit a new high, threatening to embroil the United States, and possibly the United Kingdom, in another regional conflict. Since May, six oil tankers operating in the waters between Arabia and Iran have been damaged in two separate events. • In early May, the U.S. deployed additional naval assets to the Persian Gulf, citing “clear indications” that Iran or its proxies planned to attack U.S. forces in the region. Iran blames the increased military presence on the ‘B team’ – consisting of Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS), and United Arab Emirates de factor leader Muhammad Bin Zayed (MBZ) – pushing the U.S. toward war with Iran. • On 12 May, four tankers (two of which were Saudi) were attacked off the coast of the Emirate state of Fujairah. UAE officials briefed the UN that it was a sophisticated attack involving the placement of mines on the vessels by a diving team, likely a “state actor;” it was Saudi Arabia that named Iran. • On 19 May, the day after a rocket landed in Baghdad’s green zone near the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. announced the evacuation of non-essential staff from diplomatic facilities in Baghdad and Irbil due to further unspecified threats to U.S. personnel from Iran or its proxies. • On 13 June, two tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. Iran again denied culpability.
    [Show full text]
  • A Gender Response to COVID-19 in Iraq: a Guidance Note on Actors’ Engagement
    A Gender Response to COVID-19 in Iraq: A Guidance Note on Actors’ Engagement “The way we respond to national challenges such as disease pandemics is an opportunity to hold up a mirror to ourselves as human beings and as societies”. I- CONTEXT: th 1 On March 11 , WHO declared the disease a pandemic, When Iraq recorded its first cases of COVID-19 , the and to slow the spread of the virus, a nationwide curfew country has already been facing a combination of crises. imposed on March 17th, shut down commerce and most The anti-government demonstrations that broke out, in informal sector workers lost their source of income. October 2019, against the lack of basic services, and economic opportunities, as well as the suspension of all In Iraq, the UN system is committed to supporting the productive sectors, had a great impact on the entire government to overcome these unparalleled crises, economy. Moreover, the rapid spread of the COVID-19, through the 2020-2024 United Nations Sustainable along with the collapse of oil prices affecting Iraq’s oil Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) revenues2, and the escalating tension between Iran and designed to support the State and Iraqi people to the US, on Iraqi soil, have had their toll, mainly on the achieve their National Development Plan targets, political, economic, and social scenes. aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. This includes supporting a diversified economy, preceded by One of the main challenges in the pandemic response, reforms to encourage private sector investment, to was the lack of resources. Out of the State’s $106.5 make the country more resilient to oil shocks and to billion budget, in 2019, the health sector has been boost employment in highly productive sectors.
    [Show full text]