Sheikha Fatima receives lifetime achievement award from Gates Foundation

Award presented by Bill Gates and received on Sheikha Fatima's behalf by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, receives the lifetime achievement award from Bill Gates on behalf of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak. Victor Besa / The NationalShow less

Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, received a lifetime achievement award for her six decades of service to women, children and families in the UAE and around the world.

The award was presented by Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation, at the Goalkeepers Abu Dhabi event, organised by the Gates Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, at Manarat Al Saadiyat on Monday evening.

Receiving the award on Sheikha Fatima's behalf was her son, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“We gather today to celebrate this award, which embodies her generous spirit and her lifelong commitment to ensuring that every woman, every mother, and every child lives a life of dignity and grace,” Sheikh Abdullah said, on receiving the award on his mother's behalf.

“This deep and unwavering belief was not born from ease, but from the difficult circumstances she herself experienced as a mother.

“Through decades of tireless work, Her Highness championed social protection laws, initiated programmes supporting vulnerable families, and strengthened volunteerism – including major initiatives in community and humanitarian volunteering.

“These efforts embody her commitment to humanitarian principles and her belief that dignity is a right for all.”

The award comes at a pivotal moment for the health of children around the world, which is witnessing a dangerous resurgence of childhood diseases – conditions long considered preventable – as conflict, vaccine gaps, and weakened health systems threaten to push countries backwards and claim more young lives.

Held under the Goalkeepers initiative of the Gates Foundation, the gathering brought together global leaders, policymakers, youth innovators and philanthropists who are accelerating progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This year’s event, held for the first time in the UAE and the Middle East, also highlighted urgent threats to childhood health and the critical need for sustained funding for disease eradication efforts.

'Special award for special person'

“This really is a special award for a very special person. Since the founding of the UAE, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak has championed the simple truth that has shaped the nation: mothers are the backbones of nations,” said Mr Gates, presenting the award.

“She has dedicated her life to empowering women and making that backbone strong. Her Highness’s influence extends far past the UAE. She’s invested in remarkable efforts to advance equality, health, and peace in communities around the world.

“Her fund for refugee women, for instance, trains refugees as healthcare workers so they can secure stable livelihoods and bring critical health services to their communities.”

'Protect the children'

The same event also saw Mr Gates in conversation with Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation. Their message was clear: children need to be protected. Hosted by the actor David Oyelowo, the ceremony brought together midwives, global health advocates, researchers, philanthropists and policy leaders.

Mr Gates spoke plainly about polio, a disease once believed to be on the brink of eradication. “The final one per cent has turned out to be very difficult,” he said, pointing to persistent transmission in Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Africa.

“We have to keep vaccinating the kids. The disease goes away when 90 per cent of children are vaccinated. The vaccine is incredible – we recently improved it during the Covid-19 period. It’s taken longer than we hoped, but now we have the resources to drive the new approaches and bring it to an end.”

For the UAE, this effort spans nearly two decades. “We started with Bill almost 16 years ago,” Ms Al Hashimy said. “Back then, Nigeria and India were also still affected. Polio eradication matters because it is possible.

"We knew from the start this wasn’t going to be a three or four-year programme. Now we are at the last mile, and Inshallah, within the next two years, we may be able to gather again and say that through partnership, persistence and innovation, we reached eradication.”