Issue 141 (May - June)

p. 33 the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz. From 1971-2007 His Royal Highness served as Governor of Asir Province in south-western Saudi Arabia, which inspired Prince Khalid Al-Faisal both as an artist, a poet and a patron of the arts. AL HABTOOR RECEIVES PHILIPPE DOUSTE-BLAZY, UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UN Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor welcomed His Excellency Philippe Douste-Blazy at his office on Thursday 5 April 2018. HE Douste-Blazy has held several ministerial positions in his native France, including Minister of Health (1993-1995), Minister of Culture and Communication (1995-1997), Minister for Solidarity, Health and Family (2004-2005) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2005- 2007). He is currently the United Nations Secretary General on Innovative Finance for Development, with the rank of Under Secretary General. Douste-Blazy is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on innovative financing to reach the Millennium Development Goals. His Excellency informed Khalaf Al Habtoor about the issue of Chronic Malnutrition globally, and said action was required at conception onwards to ensure the disease does not develop. He discussed the long- term consequences of Chronic Malnutrition on the economy. “Children with this disease cannot function properly at school which means they will not be able to contribute as they should to the economy when they are adults... Chronic Malnutrition impacts the neurons of the brain and reduces the ability to learn.” He said that Chronic Malnutrition in the world can be reduced significantly at the small cost of just $34 per child per year. Al Habtoor said he supports the initiative, adding that he believes the overarching issue is global poverty. “If you alleviate world poverty then this issue will go away,” he said. “Poverty is the biggest threat to the world today. Without money you cannot put nutritious food on the table or provide for your family’s basic needs. This leads to a multitude of problems from health issue to terrorism. If we tackle poverty then we tackle a lot more of the world’s troubles.”