Mohammed lauds Arab Media Forum

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, received yesterday members of the board of the Arab Journalism Award (AJA).

The meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the 12th AJA's award-giving ceremony at Grand Hyatt hotel, was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office (GDMO) Mona Ghanem Al Marri.

Sheikh Mohammed commended the diligent efforts of the AJA board who served the award during their three-year term.

He hailed both the Arab Media Forum (AMF) and the AJA as a platform for innovators in journalism and media which enables them to exchange views on a variety of Arab causes and diagnose the Arab ills so as to find out effective, applicable solutions to issues concerning the media and Arab citizen.

During his dialogue with the AJA board members, Sheikh Mohammed affirmed that consultations between leaders of the media and decision-makers help to crystalise the sound opinion because the opinion of two minds is more sound than that of one and the opinion of three persons is better than that of two.

Sheikh Mohammed and the AJA board members discussed issues related to the current Arab political reality in light of what is called the 'Arab Spring', and freedom of opinion in print media, TV and radio stations. He wished that welfare and stability would prevail in Arab countries.

For their part, the AJA board members thanked Sheikh Mohammed for his patronage of the AJA and AMF and his unequivocal support for the freedom of the press.

Mohammed honours winners of Arab Journalism Award 2013

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, on Wednesday honoured winners of the 12th edition of the Arab Journalism Award (AJA) at a grand ceremony held at the closing of the two-day Arab Media Forum.

The event was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and a host of thought and opinion leaders, as well as prominent media cultural and personalities in the region.

The Arab Media Forum seeks to support the development of the Arab media sector through dialogue and exchange of opinion, while the Arab Journalism Awards recognises excellence and contribution to the development of the regional industry.

As patron of the award, Sheikh Mohammed recognised the following media persons: Special Award: Khalfan Al Roumi, Chairman of AJA Board, for his tireless efforts and contributions to propel the award to prominence. A well-known national figure, Al Roumi held several ministerial portfolios including education, health, labour and social, and information and culture.

 * Media Personality of the Year 2013: Hamdi Qandeel, a famous Egyptian media practitioner, author, lecturer, diplomat and political activist, who dedicated his career for advancing Arab media and defending Arab causes.

 * Best Columnist: Hazen Sagheya of Lebanon.

 * Investigative Reporting: Abdul Wahab Aleiwa of Al Wafd, Egyptian newspaper

 * Economic Journalism: Khalid Al Biheiri of Al Roya, Omani newspaper

 * Political Journalism: Othman Lehyani of Al Khabar, Algerian newspaper

 * Press Interviews Journalism: Nidal Hamdan of Al Bayan, UAE newspaper

 * Humanitarian Journalism: Hanan Khunduqji of Al Ghad, Jordanian newspaper

 * Specialized Journalism: Rasha Abu Zaki of Al Akhbar, Lebanese newspaper

 * Sport Journalism: Amin Al Bobali of Al Ittihad, UAE newspaper

 * Best Picture: Alaa Badarneh of EU Agency News

 * Outstanding Cartoon Works: Raed Khalil of Syrian Cartoon, Syrian Cartoon

 * Young Journalist: Huda Baroud of Palestine, Palestinian newspaper, Haitham Mahjoub of Al Masry Al Youm, Egyptian newspaper, and Esmahan Al Ghamedi of Al Riyadh, Saudi newspaper

Organisers Dubai Press Club said: "Competition was fierce in this year's edition of the award which received more than 4,000 quality submissions that reflected a high sense of professionalism, creativity and dedication. I believe that all shortlisted nominees are winners and well deserve appreciation for their efforts."

Mohammed renames Dubai Promotions

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai has issued a law to change the name of the Dubai Events & Promotions Establishment (DEPE) to Dubai Festivals Retail Sector Promotion Establishment.

The new law confers on the body the powers for cooperation and coordination with public and private sectors and retail promotion to advanced levels as well as to attract greater numbers of visitors and shoppers, thus contributing to increasing the sector's contribution to the GDP of the Emirate of Dubai.

The announcement of this law follows the adoption of Sheikh Mohammed's "Dubai’s Vision for Tourism 2020" for the development of the tourism sector, where the retail sector and shopping festivals play a pivotal role in supporting tourism.

Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General of Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing Department (DTCM), stated that "The retail sector plays an important role year after year to increase the number of visitors to Dubai, it also makes a clear contribution to the GDP of the Emirate, as does the development of festivals like the "Dubai Shopping Festival" and "Dubai Summer Surprises".

The Dubai Festivals Retail Sector Promotion Establishment  is to play an integral role in the development and promotion of the sector within the framework of joint cooperation between the public and private sectors, with its keenness to achieve further growth through development and regulation of retail-related festivals, which is a main part of our strategy to achieve our goals within "Dubai’s Vision for Tourism 2020".

The strategy also includes promoting the status of Dubai as a preferred destination for families. As retail and festival sectors are two basic elements for this strategy, the Establishment will work to advance the level of these sectors, which enabled the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2012, its 17th year, to attract 4.36 million visitors, compared with around 3.98 million during 2011, an increase of 9 per cent. The total volume of spending during the Dubai Shopping Festival 2012 exceeded Dh14.7 billion.

The Dubai Summer Surprises 2011, which lasted from June 22 until July 31, received about 4 million visitors. The rate of spending for those visitors reached Dh8.8 billion distributed mainly among the retail, travel and hospitality sectors, in addition to many other economic sectors in the Emirate.

The Establishment also promotes Dubai's status in the events sector through organising festivals and events, which have previously seen Dubai awarded as the "Best City for Global Events and Festivals of 2011 and 2012". It also ranked first place in the Middle East as the best city of fashion, according to the Global Language Monitor's annual ranking of the Top Fifty Fashion Capitals.

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