HH Sayyidah Mayyan receives Arab Women of the Year Award
LONDON: Her Highness Sayyidah Mayyan bint Shihab al Said, Chairperson of the Oman Design Association (ODA), received the 2025 Arab Women of the Year Award in the field of social impact during a ceremony organised by the London Arabia Foundation (LAF) in the UK capital.
The London Arabia Foundation seeks to promote international communication and relations, social responsibility; and educational and research programmes. The LAF has been celebrating Arab women since 2015.
The ceremony was attended by Nusrat Ghani, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and a number of Arab ambassadors to the United Kingdom. — ONA
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
The missed message: Arab world at crossroads
Comedian Eddie Griffin once posed a piercing question about faith: "You say you follow the messenger! Did you get the message?" For nearly two millennia, the Arab world, encompassing nearly half a billion people who share a linguistic and cultural heritage from the Sultanate of Oman to Morocco, the Comoros, and the Levant, has aspired to a positive global influence. A pivotal moment arrived with a charismatic social justice messenger whose core mission was universal: To remind humanity of timeless virtues, honesty, trust, modesty, chastity, courage, patience, generosity, hospitality, family bonds and good neighbourliness. This profound moral framework offered immense potential. Yet today, in our hyper-connected world, we seem to have failed in truly internalising and effectively sharing this essential message. I understand a cultural hesitation around the word 'failure', preferring terms like 'struggling'. However, acknowledging shortcomings is crucial for progress. Without this honesty, we risk remaining trapped in unresolved cycles of challenge. The urgency for the Arab world to rediscover its moral voice and collective strength is starkly highlighted by the devastating conflicts and instability plaguing our region. External interventions and complex regional dynamics have fuelled immense suffering, evident by the denial of a decent life, food, and even water to a caged, starving population. This crisis underscores the profound need for a renewed Arab identity grounded in its foundational values. I believe our path forward lies in consciously leveraging these enduring morals to build modern forms of power, drawing on Joseph Nye's concepts: hard, soft and sharp power. True hard power requires effective collective action. The Arab League, headquartered in Cairo, embodies this missed opportunity. Despite representing diverse and culturally rich nations with a combined population of almost 500 million and significant economic resources, they have consistently struggled to shake off the Arab League's timid overall performance, translating potential into decisive, unified, and effective influence on regional crises or global affairs. Its impact remains fragmented, undermining the collective weight the Arab world could wield. Soft power flows from cultural appeal and intellectual contribution. While historical Islamic civilisation was a beacon of learning, contemporary Arab soft power often feels underdeveloped. Where are the globally recognised scientific pioneers, the groundbreaking technological innovations, or the universally resonant artistic movements rooted distinctly in Arab values today? Even established platforms like Al Jazeera Network, initially a significant voice, face criticism for perceived shifts away from independent Arab perspectives towards narratives subservient to the superpowers' regional proxy, diminishing its unique soft power potential. Sharp power involves shaping perceptions through culture and information. Intriguingly, global interest in the intellectual and cultural legacy of Islamic civilisation is rising, particularly among younger generations seeking historical depth beyond modern headlines. Yet, there is a conspicuous lack of coordinated, large-scale Arab initiatives to strategically channel this growing fascination. We are missing a crucial chance to shape narratives and build positive influence for the contemporary Arab world, allowing others to define our story. The message delivered centuries ago was never solely about the past; it was a blueprint for a just and moral society. The core virtues, honesty guiding governance, generosity shaping economies, courage defending rights, and hospitality welcoming diversity, remain profoundly relevant. Their erosion within our societies and our struggle to project them authentically outward weakens us. Reclaiming this moral compass isn't nostalgia; it's a strategic necessity. It demands introspection and commitment to progress. It requires investing in education systems that instill these values, fostering innovation hubs where ethics drive progress, building institutions that embody trust and social justice, and supporting cultural ambassadors who authentically represent the best of the Arab spirit. It is now, more than ever, that the Arab world must remember, embody, and project the timeless message of its core morals. By innovatively weaving these values into the fabric of modern hard, soft, and sharp power, we can move beyond struggle towards genuine renewal and influence. Our legacy and our future stability depend on getting and sharing this essential message once more.
Muscat Daily
5 days ago
- Muscat Daily
Oman urges unified global response to regional escalation
Muscat – The Sultanate of Oman has been involved in a flurry of diplomatic activity, reaffirming its steadfast commitment to regional peace and stability amid escalating tensions triggered by Israel's aggression against Iran. His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik received two phone calls from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The leaders discussed the grave regional developments and the urgent need for coordinated international efforts to contain the crisis and prevent further escalation. In parallel, Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, held a meeting in Muscat with his German counterpart Johann David Wadephul, who paid a visit to the capital for high-level talks. Their discussions centred on Israel's military strikes on Iran, which targeted vital sovereign sites and resulted in significant casualties. The two ministers also addressed the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, marked by widespread destruction, displacement, and loss of civilian life. Sayyid Badr strongly condemned the violations of international law and norms, particularly the infringement of state sovereignty. He reiterated the importance of a two-state solution and called for broader international recognition of the State of Palestine. Both sides emphasised the urgent need to intensify diplomatic efforts in support of peaceful resolutions and long-term regional stability. In continuation of Oman's diplomatic outreach, Sayyid Badr has also held a series of phone calls with foreign ministers from Arab, Islamic, and friendly nations, as part of a broader campaign to mobilise political and legal pressure to halt Israeli military actions. The discussions highlighted the importance of unified international action to confront ongoing violations of international humanitarian law and prevent further deterioration of the regional security landscape. All parties agreed that diplomatic engagement remains the only viable path to lasting peace and security. These sustained efforts underscore Oman's balanced and principled foreign policy – rooted in dialogue, justice, and respect for international law – aimed at preserving global peace and ensuring prosperity for all.
Observer
11-06-2025
- Observer
When the sea becomes the story
Ten years ago, I stood in a crowded hallway in Paris, watching history unfold. The Paris Agreement had just been adopted and the room erupted. There were cheers, tears and applause. I remember the hallway buzzing with the smell of coffee, exhaustion and belief. It felt like a line had been drawn in the sand. The world had finally said yes to something bigger than its borders. Now, we gather again. This time in Nice. And this time, the crisis rises from the deep. The 2025 UN Ocean Conference could not have come at a more urgent moment. Ocean temperatures are at record highs. Over 84 per cent of coral reefs have experienced bleaching-level heat stress since January 2023. Marine biodiversity is vanishing. The ocean is absorbing more carbon and heat than ever before and its ability to protect us is wearing thin. In the halls of Nice, urgency is not just spoken. It is in the way delegates lean forward. France's President Macron has called for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, warning that the world cannot afford to explore blindly. French Polynesia has proposed what could become the largest marine protected area on Earth, spanning five million square kilometres. Eighteen more countries have ratified the High Seas Treaty, bringing the total to 49, just eleven short of entry into force. This treaty matters. It creates tools to protect biodiversity beyond borders, mandates environmental assessments before high seas exploitation and introduces a framework for fair access to marine genetic resources. Even with the current shifting, some regions are still slow to move. The Arab world, with all its coasts and stories, has not yet found its full voice in this treaty. The truth is, some already have. Countries like Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Mauritania, Yemen, Palestine and Jordan have signed the treaty. Signing shows intent. It is a step towards responsibility, a way of saying we are willing to be part of something larger. But signing is only the beginning. For a treaty to hold weight, it must be woven into law. That means review, debate and coordination. It is careful work. So far, only Jordan has completed that step. The treaty remains open for signature until September 2025. Time is still with us, but it is not standing still. Each passing season pulls the shore a little further from where it used to be. And in the Gulf, where the sea has always been more than scenery, that current feels personal. In Oman, the ocean is our inheritance. It carried our merchants, fed our families and shaped our stories. It shaped me. I remember early mornings near the shore, where the air smelled of salt and fish and home. But those mornings have changed. The coral is fading. The fish are fewer. Storms feel closer, like something pressing at the edge of memory. It is not only the elders who notice. The next generation feels it too, not in theory, but in their bones. This summit cannot drift into memory like the ones before it. It must leave something behind. Leadership that hears the science. Action that spans borders. The courage to place the ocean not at the edge of our decisions, but at the centre of them. Paris was a commitment. Nice must be a mirror. For our region, with coastlines that have shaped civilisations and communities still bound to the sea, the question is not whether the tide is rising. It is whether we will rise with it and rise together. Rumaitha al Busaidi The writer is environmental strategist and advocate for sustainable development
