Mohamed bin Zayed to lead UAE into a new era

On May 14th, 2022, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was unanimously elected as the President of the UAE.

The UAE has pledged allegiance to their new president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, to lead their march into a new era, believing in his ability to continue to drive the UAE into further development and progress.

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is a leader of high calibre, he played a major role to promote peace and security regionally and globally, while spreading tolerance and peaceful coexistence between religions and societies.

Mohamed bin Zayed Bio

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was born on March 11th, 1961. He is the third son of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, from whom he learned the arts of governance and leadership.

He was educated at schools in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi until the age of 18. In 1979, he joined the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where he trained in armour, helicopter flying, tactical flying and paratroops. After graduating in April 1979, he returned home to the UAE to join the Officers’ Training Course in Sharjah, another Emirate of the UAE. He has held a number of roles in the UAE military, from that of Officer in the Amiri Guard (the UAE’s elite security force) and Pilot in the UAE Air Force.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed played a major role in developing the UAE Armed Forces in terms of strategic planning, training, organisational structure and promoting defense capabilities. Sheikh Mohamed led the modernization of the UAE army turning it into a military force widely admired by many international military organisations.

Nevertheless, on the local level he enhanced the educational standards in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and raised them to be on par with the best international standards.

Since Sheikh Mohamed took on the Chairmanship of the Abu Dhabi Education Council, he has worked tirelessly to forge partnerships with prestigious world-class educational institutions and think-tanks, a number of which have subsequently announced plans to either establish a base in or join strategic joint ventures with existing academic establishments.

On the economic front, he His Highness is known, and for a long time, to be the directing force behind many initiatives that contributed into supporting and motivating the economic growth and diversity of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, in addition to the construction boom achieved by the emirate at the level of housing for citizens and health and recreational facilities and other fields.

At the federal level, the insightful vision of His Highness and his wise leadership contributed to the renaissance of the modern UAE and the consolidation of its position as an ideal global destination at various levels. The umbrella of security, stability, prosperity, sustainable development and social welfare, established by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is one of the most prominent achievements that reflect his quest to ensure social welfare and economic wellbeing for the UAE citizens Sheikh Mohamed believes that investing in education is the most valuable investment for delivering the future of a nation. Therefore, he has always been determined to provide national educational institutions with the latest state-of-the-art technology and know-how to keep pace with the rapid and multi-faceted changes taking place globally across all fronts.

His Highness’ keynote speech during the World Government Summit in 2015 still resonates, constituting a historic milestone in the UAE, wherein he provided an insightful view of building an economy driven by knowledge and innovation. His words opened the doors of trust about the future of the country, and turned the fear of running out of oil and gas after 50 years into a broader optimism about the future.

Despite his heavy political, legislative and economic responsibilities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general, environmental protection has received great care and attention from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed. He was instrumental in establishing the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and has led significant conservation efforts to protect falcons and houbara bustards in the UAE and internationally.

The late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan issued his directives to establish programmes to protect the Arabian Oryx, such as breeding and protecting the wild animals from extinction, whilst reintroducing them back into their natural habitat. Following this, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, launched a similar programme in 2007, which is part of the Abu Dhabi government’s vision to create a regional herd that reflects all programmes for the resettlement of Arabian oryxes in their range countries.

In January 2008, His Highness announced that the Abu Dhabi Government would contribute US$15 billion to Masdar, the global standard-setting alternative and renewable energy initiative based in Abu Dhabi and developer of the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero-waste city.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed always seeks to revive the noble human values ​​of religion, and strengthen the spirit of fraternity among human beings, and with an insightful vision, and determination, he succeeded in extending bridges of communication and peace with all leaders and peoples the world, promoting a culture of tolerance to put an end to many of global crises, while shielding the nation and the region against the menacing threats posed by those falsely donning the cloak of Islam while instigating extremism and terrorism around the world.

After the UAE named 2019 as the “Year of Tolerance”, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed received His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence the Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, and the global meeting in the capital Abu Dhabi resulted in the signing of the Human Fraternity Document to be a guide to promoting a culture of mutual respect and dialogue for peaceful coexistence and fraternity among human beings.

Just as His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan spared no effort to spread the values ​​of tolerance, he has been dedicated to serving humanity at large, providing assistance to brotherly and friendly countries, by concluding agreements that carry the meanings of peace, coexistence and cooperation. He also directed the nation’s humanitarian arm, Emirates Red Crescent, along with other charitable societies, to provide a helping hand to peoples afflicted by wars or the effects of disasters and crises.

The great role played by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed in strengthening the UAE and the world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is undeniable and acclaimed worldwide. His efforts contributed to making the UAE one of the first countries to succeed in overcoming the pandemic and ensure the transition to recovery and normalcy. At the same time, His Highness sent various types of material and in-kind assistance to brotherly and fraternal nations during the pandemic.

In the same context, the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to eradicate polio in several countries highlights the UAE’s campaign to combat the disease. Since 2011, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has donated $247.8 million (AED 911.4 million) to humanitarian and charity efforts aimed at providing vaccines and financing polio eradication campaigns most notably in countries targeted by his initiative. He launched the Reaching the Last Mile Fund to raise $100 million with the aim of eradicating, eliminating, and controlling preventable diseases that hinder the health and economic prospects of the world’s poorest people. He committed US$20 million to the Fund, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged to contribute up to $20 million.

The aim of this 10-year Fund is to support the elimination of two debilitating and preventable neglected diseases: river blindness, and lymphatic filariasis.

The march of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been marked by historic positions that were taken for the sake of strengthening cooperation and solidarity with brotherly Arab nations and standing by them. His Highness has never hesitated to support regional stability and address all challenges and threats that affect the security of the region, foremost of which is terrorism and extremist. Internationally, His Highness always took the initiative of trying to stop global conflicts, quell struggles and defuse disputes, and achieving reconciliation, in quest for world peace and in pursuit of ending bloodsheds, in order to protect human beings and preserve their dignity.

The unanimous election of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the President of the UAE reaffirms that the nation is determined to continue an ambitious, future-oriented approach with specific, well-thought-out objectives, wherein the torch is passed across generations to enable ushering in new phases, including a knowledge-based economy.

The UAE has established, across the foundation and empowerment phases, its position as an economic, investment oasis offering promising opportunities to the business community, and topping competitiveness indexes, driven by a proactive foreign policy that helped position the nation as a leading financial and logistic hub in the region.

Today, with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed becoming President, the UAE leadership will launch a new phase described by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, as a new birth for the country: “Today, his assumption of the responsibility of the presidency represents a new historical era and a new birth. We look forward to the acceleration of development aimed at consolidating the global sovereignty and pioneering of the Emirates.”

This phase will build on past achievements, while continuing to diversify our economy, boost its sustainability, reduce reliance on oil and build active and balanced foreign relations that help achieve the UAE’s strategic objectives, launching it into the prosperity phase, which is built around viewing citizens as the true treasure and measure of the country’s progress.

This new era is launched based on solid foundations developed through years of hard work, experience and dedication to reach a day where the UAE celebrates exporting the last oil barrel.

His Highness’ election came as a continuation of a blessed, fast-paced journey to the heights of glory, especially as Sheikh Mohamed has lived through the two past phases serving alongside a forward-looking leader, and inherited the wisdom of the late Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, while serving as a supporter of the late Sheikh Khalifa. Our flag will continue to fly high across all fronts.

Mohamed bin Zayed: Ambitious economic vision for UAE Centennial 2071

Under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE will unswervingly continue to implement its comprehensive strategy and vision to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy that ensures a prosperous future for generations to come.

In this report, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) sheds lights on the economic vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan that is based on accelerating the implementation and development of an ambitious economic vision for the next 50 years and the Centennial 2071, which keeps pace with the fast-paced and multifaceted changes of the global economy.

His Highness’ vision is focused on relying on knowledge, innovation and investment in people, enhancing the role of the private sector as an active partner in the economic landscape, promoting investment incentives, and ensuring more economic diversification, while continuing to maximise utilisation of oil and gas resources and enhancing the nation’s ability to produce more renewable and clean energy in the coming decades.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed’s vision stems from the efforts and determination of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, and the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to tap into new resources and utilising potential. Within this context, His Highness said during the opening of the 2015 World Governments Summit, “We think and plan for the next fifty years, and for the benefit of next generations, by building a diversified, solid and sustainable economy that does not depend only on traditional resources and opens promising prospects that contribute to strengthening the foundations and capabilities of the nation.”

His Highness’ vision and directives were the main driver behind advancing ADNOC’s global position, developing the energy sector and keeping pace with global shifts by focusing on flexibility, elasticity and evolution.

The UAE Retreat on Post-Oil Phase in 2016, in which His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, took part, was a key pillar in the UAE’s plans for the next decades. The retreat tackled the then-current state of the UAE economy, and opportunities to develop the vital non-oil sectors in the country and enhance their efficiency to help advance the UAE’s global position, as well as explored future forecasts of the UAE economy, through which best government strategies were adopted to transform and create positive change across vital sectors.

In September 2021, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed said in a tweet, “The UAE has succeeded in establishing its status as an economic capital in the region and an ideal business landscape with world-class digital infrastructure, services, security and competitive investment benefits.

“The launch of our new economic campaign aims to secure the UAE’s position as one of the strongest global economics over the next 50 years.”

His Highness’ vision bolsters continuity in growth to ensure a safe and stable future for the UAE’s next generations by enabling them to keep pace with technological advancements and to utilise their capabilities and creativity in the new branches of industry, advanced manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, space, energy, pharmaceuticals, food industries, and other vital sectors.