The UAE Defeats The Corona Pandemic: A Model Worth Studying

At a time that most of the countries' responses to the (Covid-19) were securitized through calling the army and security forces, and imposing coercive measures; The United Arab Emirates provided a unique and successful model that could inspire others. The messages of the political leadership, which have relied on an accumulated balance of popular confidence since the beginning of the crisis, gave rise to optimism, and proved that the Emirati society, with all its components, is capable of facing the challenge. Everyone received the messages of His Highness Sheikh "Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan", Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates, with comfort and reassurance, despite his few words such as: "Do not let your selves down."

If we believe that the post-Corona world will definitely change from the pre-Corona stage, it will represent a defining moment in the history of the UAE's renaissance. The country has demonstrated its readiness through the vision of its conscious leadership, infrastructure and technology, and that it is able to face the effects of the crisis that has severely damaged the economy and reputation of many major international powers. Not only that, the Emirati strategic thought has been busy planning and developing future scenarios for the country's comprehensive economic and development paths.

If we depend on the language of numbers, we will find that the UAE presented a unique model that reflects accumulated experience in crisis management and future planning. The UAE ranked first in the world in terms of the number of laboratory tests for the detection of the Corona virus, as it implemented about (3,136,000) tests, which means that 317,119 tests are carried out for every million of the population. The average daily examination in the UAE has increased from 25,000 to more than 40,000, which is a record rate by international standards. Perhaps this raises a question for everyone about the characteristics of this unique model. We can summarize these characteristics, as follows:

1. The vision of conscious UAE leadership, 

2. The infrastructure and technology, especially the experience of smart cities and the use of artificial intelligence,

3. The innovative initiatives and solutions, and 

4. the community participation based on confidence in leadership.

In short, the (Covid-19) pandemic showed the UAE, which is a global center that may surpass Hong Kong and Singapore, as a leading and effective country in fighting the virus, and that it has been able to transform this challenge into a possibility to build a better future. The country's technology sector has proven to be successful, as the technology approach has been directly adopted with the outbreak. The Emirati model - as above-mentioned- was based on making use of artificial intelligence and information technology to prevent the virus from spreading, and to ensure that medical supplies reach the areas that are most in need. For example, the Population Genomics Program has been launched, which provides rapid genotyping to help collect the data needed for researchers and clinicians to develop a treatment for the virus.

Thus, we conclude that the Emirati model was able to benefit from the best global practices in confronting the virus, while employing the modern technological approach, taking advantage of the accumulation of investment in the country's digital and infrastructure decades ago. We cannot forget the cohesion of leadership with citizens and residents to face the challenge in light of a system of national and general human values ​​that characterized the Emirati model in sustainable development, which gave the UAE response to (Covid-19) a unique and exceptional character, and represents a model to be emulated in crisis management globally .