Achievements 12 that inspire

Rulers, leaders, government departments and people of the UAE have pledged allegiance to the new President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. MBZ, as he is popularly known, is a people’s leader who has served the UAE for decades. He has promoted peace, built bridges of tolerance, championed environment causes and inspired the world with his generosity and humanitarian work.

Here are 12 achievements of his that highlight the different facets of his leadership.

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Ambassador for peace, tolerance and coexistence

The UAE President has extended bridges of communication and peace with all leaders and peoples in the world. He has promoted a culture of tolerance to put an end to many global crises, while shielding the nation and the region against the menacing threats posed by those falsely donning the cloak of Islam to instigate extremism and terrorism.

After the UAE named 2019 as the ‘Year of Tolerance’,

Sheikh Mohamed received Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, and Dr Ahmed El Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar. The global meeting in 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.

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A global humanitarian

has been dedicated to serving humanity at large, providing assistance to brotherly and friendly countries. He has facilitated agreements that carry the messages 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.

Fighting preventable diseases

He launched the Reaching the Last Mile

Fund to raise $100 million with the aim of eradicating and controlling preventable diseases that hinder the health and economic prospects of the world’s poorest people. He committed $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.

Caring for the environment

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.

He has introduced schemes to resettle Arabian oryxes. In 2008, he announced that the Abu Dhabi Government would contribute

$15 billion to Masdar, the global standardsetting alternative and renewable energy initiative and developer of the world’s first carbonneutral, zero-waste city.

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Economic growth, diversification

Sheikh Mohamed is known to be the guiding force behind many initiatives that contributed to supporting and steering the economic growth and diversity of Abu Dhabi. He is also credited with the construction boom achieved in the Emirate. He famously said once: “In 50 years, when we might have the last barrel of oil, the question is: When it is shipped abroad, will we be sad? If we are investing today in the right sectors, I can tell you we will celebrate at that moment.”

A true soldier

In 1979, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed 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. 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 helped develop the UAE Armed Forces in terms of strategic planning, training, organisational structure and promoting defence capabilities.

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Ensuring regional stability

Sheikh Mohamed has taken historic positions for the sake of strengthening cooperation and solidarity with brotherly Arab nations and standing by them. He has never hesitated to support regional stability and address all challenges and threats that affect its stability, foremost of which is terrorism.

Internationally, the UAE President always took the initiative of trying to stop global conflicts, quell struggles and defuse disputes, and achieving reconciliation. He is on a quest to achieve world peace and end bloodsheds to protect human beings and preserve their dignity.

Helping the world fight Covid-19

Sheikh Mohamed’s 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. Vaccines were made available for free to all citizens and expats.

He also sent various types of material and in-kind assistance to brotherly and fraternal nations during the pandemic.

Eradicating polio

The initiative of Sheikh Mohamed to eradicate polio in several countries highlights the UAE’S campaign to combat the disease. Since 2011, Sheikh Mohamed has donated $247.8 million to humanitarian and charity efforts aimed at providing vaccines and financing polio eradication campaigns — most notably in countries targeted by his initiative.

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Focus on education

The UAE President is known for his unwavering commitment to enhance educational 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 ventures with existing academic establishments.

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All things culture

Abu Dhabi has transformed into a global cultural destination under the guidance of Sheikh Mohamed. The Emirate today houses the Saadiyat Cultural District, a forum for global culture;

Louvre Abu

Dhabi; Manarat Al Saadiyat, an arts and culture centre; and Zayed National Museum.

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Promoting sports

Sheikh Mohamed ensured that jiu-jitsu was taught at all schools in the country and he helped establish more martial arts training centres.

The country hosted major UFC fights featuring some of the world’s best fighters including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor

Mcgregor, Anderson Silva and Kamaru Usman.

Under his visionary leadership, the UAE

Capital is all set to host

NBA games later this year.