Day: June 16, 2021

Secretary-General of the Ministry of Culture, Hazza Barari, called on members of the cultural team respresenting the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, to form joint working groups, aimed to address issues in the cultural domain.

Speaking at a meeting held remotely with the GCC cultural officials on Wednesday, Barari lauded the GCC’s General Secretariat for its role in coordinating efforts to hold joint cultural discussions.

Barari stressed Jordan’s “deep-rooted, brotherly” relations with the GCC, highlighting the commonalities pertaining to traditions, culture and religion, hoping that the meeting would achieve “future aspirations.”

Noting Jordan’s experience in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the cultural landscape, he said the crisis showed “new possibilities for developing cultural work and ensuring its continuity by using digital media to disseminate cultural and artistic works.”

During the last curfew period, Barari referred to “My Talent from my Home” contest, launched by the Ministry of Culture, as an opportunity to discover talents of children and youth, adding the volume of interaction and access via the ministry’s social media platforms topped 29 million views.

On joint future action, Barari called on intensifying efforts within the framework of the “strategic” partnership between the GCC states and the Kingdom, and coordinate mutual positions on cultural issues to better present, support them at international forums and organizations.

Source: Jordan News Agency

Ramez El-Serafy, Flat6Labs CEO, commented: “We are delighted to expand our presence into Jordan with the launch of an early-stage fund and seed program, which creates exciting opportunities for local startups. As the region’s leading seed and early-stage venture capital firm, Flat6Labs is well placed to support the aspirations of the Kingdom’s talented entrepreneurs and help them take their businesses to the next level. We aim to support the growth and development of Jordan’s start-up ecosystem, and thus contribute to a thriving national economy.”

Rasha Manna, General Manager of Flat6Labs Jordan, added: “Jordan is home to a pool of talented entrepreneurs who are ready to showcase their ideas to the world. We provide foundational support to startups through funding, mentorship and networking opportunities across the region and beyond. We are excited to now open applications for our first cycle and look forward to starting work with Jordan’s most promising startups in the very near future to help them effectively scale and grow their business.”

“ISSF has been mandated to improve the Jordanian entrepreneurial ecosystem through acting as a fund of funds and through facilitating the creation of new funds to serve the investment needs of entrepreneurs and start-ups along their journey towards success,” said Laith Al-Qassem, CEO at ISSF.

“Flat6Labs fills an important gap and role by providing studied equity capital starting from seed stage accompanied by competent hands on incubation and mentoring which will facilitate speedier and more focused growth in the investments they make,” he added.

“Jordan is an attractive market for entrepreneurship and early-stage capital given its young and increasingly urban population, high rates of technology adoption, and increasing government support,” said Abdullah Jefri, IFC’s Country Manager for the Levant. “Addressing the funding gaps will help build a robust startup ecosystem to tap into this potential and spur innovation and economic growth in Jordan and the region,” Jefri pointed out.

Launched in 2011, Flat6Labs has grown to become the MENA region’s leading startup accelerator managing seed funds with a total AUM of more than $85 million. The company has run over 40 seed program cycles, funding the creation and seeding of more than 320 companies. Approximately 40% of Flat6Labs’ graduating companies have succeeded in securing follow-on rounds of funding from regional and global institutions and individuals at higher valuations, translating to an unrealized IRR in excess of 25%.

Source: Jordan News Agency

The UAE is taking part in the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers and the ministerial level extraordinary meeting of the Arab League Council to discuss developments on the Renaissance Dam issue. The meetings will be held on Tuesday in Doha.

The UAE’s delegation to the meetings is led by Dr. Hamad Saeed Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Egypt and permanent representative to the League of Arab States.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

H.E. Maktoum bin Butti Al Maktoum, the Director of MoFAIC’s Dubai Office met with H.E, Moon Byung-iun, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Dubai and received his credentials.

His Excellency welcomed the Consul General and hailed the political, economic, commercial and investment relations that bind the two friendly countries, wishing him success in his duties.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

At the UN General Assembly’s High-level dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought, the UAE underlined that protecting the environment must be a priority for the international community.

“We only have one home, one shelter – Earth,” said H.E. Dr. Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, through a video message. “Therefore, we all need to scale up our efforts and expedite global environmental and climate action to chart a better future for the current and next generations.”

Noting that protecting land from degradation and desertification has been a cornerstone of the UAE’s approach to safeguarding and sustaining the environment and its biodiversity since the founding of the UAE in 1971, Minister Al Nuaimi outlined the myriad programs and initiatives it has implemented in this regard. He highlighted the National Biodiversity Strategy and the National Strategy to Combat Desertification 2014-2021, as well as the Blue Carbon Project, aerial mapping of agricultural areas, the Nakheelna initiative, organic farming support schemes, and the expansion of the overall area and number of farms producing organic crops.

Additionally, Minister Al Nuaimi noted that the UAE has increased the number of its protected areas. In 2020, the UAE added five new such areas, for a total of 49 preserves comprising 15.5 percent of the country’s territory.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation