Many years ago, when I travelled and people asked where I was from, I used to say “Saudi Arabia”. Not because it was true — but because it was easier. Explaining where the UAE was became tiring: “Next to Iran, near Oman, on the Arabian Gulf.” At one point, I even started carrying a map.
When I visited the Galapagos Islands in 2018, I was the first Emirati most had ever met.
Today, those conversations sound very different. When I travel and say I’m from Abu Dhabi — not Dubai, which I used to default to — I hear things like “I lived there, they were the best years of my life” or “my friend works there and keeps telling me to visit”. And then there’s my favourite moment: when I ask “have you heard of Abu Dhabi?” and they smile as they answer: “Of course, who hasn’t?”
So discovering that our young nation — just over 50 years old — now has a scientific presence in the polar regions, in the furthest and most unforgiving places on Earth, stopped me in my tracks. It left me with an overwhelming sense of pride.
In this month’s edition of Emirati, I speak to those shaping the Emirates Polar Programme about why the UAE chose science as its pathway to the poles. From the treaties that govern Antarctica to research partnerships across the Arctic and the Hindu Kush–Himalayan “Third Pole”, the conversations reveal how climate leadership is being defined through long-term thinking, collaboration and responsibility — far from the spotlight, but with global consequences.
The UAE officially has a presence in the furthest regions of the Earth!
The UAE is fast establishing itself as a leading player in the global space race - but it is also making significant strides in a mission to explore some of the harshest environments back on Earth.
Central to this quest is the Emirates Polar Programme, which puts Emirati scientists at the forefront of international research in Antarctica and the Arctic.
As President Sheikh Mohamed said at the programme's launch in 2023, the polar regions are sentinels of climate change, biodiversity and human resilience.
The need to protect them has never been more critical. They are experiencing the most rapid rates of warming on the planet, with far-reaching consequences for natural ecosystems and human activity worldwide.
The Arctic is not a continent, but a frozen ocean capped by ice that expands and contracts with the seasons, bordered by eight sovereign countries.
Antarctica, by contrast, is. Much of it sits more than 500 metres above sea level, making it both the coldest and highest continent on the planet, where temperatures can fall below -60°C in winter.
Did you know?
Two Emirati researchers, Ahmed Al Kaabi and Badr Al Ameri, helped to install two meteorological and seismic monitoring stations to boost weather monitoring during an Antarctic mission that concluded in January. Read more here
The rugged Sharjah terrain that sustained human life for thousands of years. Ahmed Ramzan for The National
An ancient desert landscape in Sharjah recognised by the UN has been hailed as an example of “human resilience” after sustaining life as civilisation was gripped by an ice age.
The Faya palaeolandscape won Unesco World Heritage status in July and includes one of the oldest uninterrupted records of archaic human habitation, dating back more than 210,000 years.
The National took a tour in the company of experts who have told of its significance not only to the story of the Gulf region, but the wider world.
“This is one of the oldest sites of human settlement outside Africa,” said Eisa Yousif, director general of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority.
“It shows not only early dispersal, but sustained human presence, even during dry periods. That continuity is what makes the site exceptional.”
A farmer in Zambia tends to a maize farm affected by drought. Photo: EPA
The UAE this month set out ambitious plans to use artificial intelligence to deliver a critical lifeline to millions of farmers bearing the brunt of the growing threat posed by climate change.
Abu Dhabi's AI Ecosystem for Global Agriculture Development will seek to use advanced technology to help farmers adapt quickly to extreme weather and give them access to the tools needed to cultivate a better future for the communities they support.
The high-tech strategy is the result of a major international collaboration between the UAE Presidential Court and the Gates Foundation. Its launch will build on the $200 million UAE-Gates Foundation fund announced at Cop28 in Dubai, which aims to accelerate agricultural innovation.
The announcement was made in the presence of Mariam Almheiri, head of the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court, and Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation.
Four landmark initiatives will serve as the foundation of the new ecosystem, including an agriculture and AI centre at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (Aim for Scale), under which an advanced weather warning system for farmers is already achieving success.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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.”
Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
Do not drive outside designated lanes
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
