Students before a graduation ceremony at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi. As a cosmopolitan country, the UAE’s reputation as an international crossroads – particularly in terms of education – makes it a beacon for young, ambitious people who want to equip themselves for the future. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Students before a graduation ceremony at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi. As a cosmopolitan country, the UAE’s reputation as an international crossroads – particularly in terms of education – makes it a beacon for young, ambitious people who want to equip themselves for the future. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Students before a graduation ceremony at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi. As a cosmopolitan country, the UAE’s reputation as an international crossroads – particularly in terms of education – makes it a beacon for young, ambitious people who want to equip themselves for the future. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
Students before a graduation ceremony at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi. As a cosmopolitan country, the UAE’s reputation as an international crossroads – part


How the UAE is priming future leaders through education


  • English
  • Arabic

March 28, 2025

For people fortunate enough to get a tertiary education, their university years are often among the most formative of their lives. Amid the hustle and bustle of campus life and academic achievement, connections and friendships are forged that lay the foundation for personal and professional ties that can last decades.

The UAE’s reputation as a competitive and thriving cosmopolitan country makes it a beacon for young, ambitious people who want to equip themselves for the future. This has been borne out in their responses to numerous Arab Youth Surveys that have repeatedly ranked the Emirates first in the region in terms of the opportunities it offers. High-profile institutions such as New York University Abu Dhabi have enrolled high-achieving students from dozens of different countries over the years, many of whom will go home with fond memories of their time in the UAE and with friends from all walks of life.

President Sheikh Mohamed announced the Zayed Education Foundation this week. This project aims to provide a platform to attract and develop young leadership talent. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court
President Sheikh Mohamed announced the Zayed Education Foundation this week. This project aims to provide a platform to attract and develop young leadership talent. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court

This reputation as a place for achievement and connection looks set to be enhanced with this week’s announcement from President Sheikh Mohamed about a new Zayed Education Foundation. This project aims to provide a platform to attract and develop young leadership talent in the UAE. According to state news agency Wam, grants, funding and scholarships will help talented individuals “access resources to develop tangible solutions to global challenges”. The foundations' efforts will be expanded to other Arab nations and countries in the Global South through partnerships with educational institutions, governments and communities.

This is a 21st-century continuation of the principles that helped make the UAE a success story. Bringing people to the Emirates to exchange knowledge and ideas was an important part of the country’s journey under UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Encouraging collaboration by building personal relationships was a core tenet that guided the country towards a prosperous and stable future. The Zayed Education Fund’s planned expansion to young people from across the Arab world and Global South is also a reflection of Sheikh Zayed’s commitment to international outreach, as seen from the Emirates’ earliest years.

This is a 21st-century continuation of the principles that helped make the UAE a success story

However, the new initiative exists as part of a wider whole. It runs in concert with other national strategies such as such as the Year of Community, military service and Emiratisation, all of which foster a sense of civic duty, build professional relationships, identify talent and encourage resilience. Young people have often been at the heart of these programmes, such as the UAE Global Youth Initiative that was launched in 2018.

Many of these initiatives stem from the need to lead the way, putting into practice those principles that have served the UAE well over the decades. By enabling young people to come to the Emirates, avail of the high-level education that it offers and make important, life-long connections, the Zayed Education Fund not only ensures a strong pool of domestic talent for the challenges of the future, it will build a network of future international leaders who can say that the UAE was an important part on their own journey to success.

In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.

 

There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.

 

More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.

 

The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UK’s AI plan
  • AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
  • £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
  • £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
  • £250m to train new AI models
Arabian Gulf Cup FINAL

Al Nasr 2

(Negredo 1, Tozo 50)

Shabab Al Ahli 1

(Jaber 13)

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

List of alleged parties

 

May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff 

May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'

Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff 

Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 

Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party

Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters 

Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz 

Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 

Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Profile of Whizkey

Date founded: 04 November 2017

Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani

Based: Dubai, UAE

Number of employees: 10

Sector: AI, software

Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million  

Funding stage: Series A

Wicked: For Good

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

Oppenheimer
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristopher%20Nolan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECillian%20Murphy%2C%20Emily%20Blunt%2C%20Robert%20Downey%20Jr%2C%20Florence%20Pugh%2C%20Matt%20Damon%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogenChromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxideUltramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica contentOphiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on landOlivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour

The National in Davos

We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.

Neil Thomson – THE BIO

Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.

Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.

Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.

Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.

Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.

Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.

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

Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR

US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.

KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.

 

The biog

Favourite car: Ferrari

Likes the colour: Black

Best movie: Avatar

Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD

Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Updated: March 28, 2025, 3:00 AM