They met like tribal chieftains, Bedu-style, in a simple tent in the desert at a place that marked the border of their two domains.
When it was over, a momentous decision had been made on the strength of a simple handshake: the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai would come together as one people and one country.
It was February 18, 1968, when Sheikh Zayed, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, Ruler of Dubai, reached a formal agreement that would bind them together and lead to the formation, three years later, of the United Arab Emirates.
The moment of their decision, though, was anything but formal, marked by the growing friendship between the two men and their respect for each other.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, recalled the meeting in a series of tweets in 2018.
“From that day we started, from that day we agreed and from that day we began our march together,” he said.
Then a young man not yet 20, and newly graduated from officer training at a UK military academy, Sheikh Mohammed recalled the exchange between his father and the UAE Founding Father.
“So Rashid, what do you think? Shall we create a union?” Sheikh Zayed asked the older of the two Rulers.
“Give me your hand, Zayed,” Sheikh Mohammed recalls his father replying. “Let us shake upon the agreement. You will be President.”
“Fifty years are nothing in the age of a country, but with Zayed every year was worth 50 in work and achievements,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said on Twitter.
“Our nation remembers this day so as not to forget our beginnings and not to forget good intentions and to stay aware that we are of the desert, we began there and we have reached space.”
What led to the unification between Abu Dhabi and Dubai?
The meeting 57 years ago was held in Seih Al Sedira, a small hill on the Abu Dhabi side of the border and close to the community of Al Sameeh, now grown in size and bisected by the E11 on the approach to Ghantoot.
The road to Al Sameeh, though, had been anything but straightforward. Less than a month earlier, the cash-strapped socialist Labour government of the UK, had, without warning, decided to withdraw from the Arabian Gulf, a sphere of British influence for more than 100 years.
Britain’s departure, to take place by the end of 1971, would end a series of treaties in which the old Empire agreed to defend what were then known as the Trucial States in exchange for control over their foreign relations.
As Britain’s warships and fighter aircraft departed, the seven emirates, along with Bahrain and Qatar, would be left to fend for themselves.
Without protection from a major power, they would face many potential enemies, namely Iran, which claimed the islands of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs, belonging to Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah respectively, and all of Bahrain.
This was the background to the February meeting between Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Even the location was a minor diplomatic triumph, given that the border between the two emirates had only recently been fixed and, indeed, had been the subject of several past disputes.
The atmosphere on that February day, though, was cordial. The gathering was small, in two tents; one for private meetings between the two Rulers, the other for hospitality. As the youngest member of the party, it was the duty of Sheikh Mohammed to serve the coffee.
The two Rulers had already met several times previously, most recently in January, when Sheikh Zayed offered to fund a number of infrastructure projects with Abu Dhabi’s new oil wealth, including the first paved road between the two emirates.
Now the stakes were even higher, but the objective also clearer. After the two leaders departed, a joint communique was issued, bearing both their signatures. It stated, briefly, that it was the intention of the two emirates to join together, with a common policy on foreign affairs and defence. It invited others to join them.
How the seven emirates came together to form the UAE
One week later, a much larger gathering took place in Dubai. All seven emirates were represented, along with Bahrain and Qatar. After two days of intense meetings and discussions, a broader agreement was reached.
A new country would be created from the nine, to be called the Union of Arab Emirates, while preparations would begin for a draft constitution.
A statement was issued: “The Union of Arab Emirates comprises one people, and has one policy, one diplomatic representation, one army and one economic and social structure.”
“The organisational structure of the Union is democratic, its official religion is Islam, the source of its legislation is Islamic Law, its official language is Arabic and its people is part of the Arab nation.”
Many challenges still lay ahead. Bahrain and Qatar eventually decided to go their own ways. Iran continued to press its claim over the disputed islands, eventually occupying both the Tunbs and Abu Musa. Ras Al Khaimah was initially hesitant about joining the new country, eventually doing so as the seventh emirate in early 1972.
There were internal discussions and complications as well. What currency would be used? Where would the capital be? Would the individual emirates retain their own military forces? What would be the extent of federal controls over areas like education and taxes?
They are familiar issues to anyone who has studied the recent history of the European Union, or even the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Dr Fatima Al Sayegh, professor of history at UAE University, has described the period between 1968 and December 1971 as "the most difficult in the history of the union. It witnessed long and difficult negotiations, sometimes reaching a deadlock".
But, she added: “The Al Sameeh meeting, hence, marked the beginning of a golden era in the history of the region. It paved the way for the establishment of a unique country that has become a model in various areas of development.”
This story was first published by The National for the UAE's 50th National Day in 2021.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
RACE CARD
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 (PA) Listed Dh230,000 1,600m
6.30pm: HH The President’s Cup (PA) Group 1 Dh2.5million 2,200m
7pm: HH The President’s Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,200m.
