Like so many of his generation and older, Faris Saif Al Mazrouei has his own personal memory of Sheikh Zayed.
It was on a trip to Geneva in Switzerland while strolling through one of the city’s parks when he suddenly noticed there were other fellow Emiratis around.
There on a bench was the President of the UAE.
“It was not a formal setting,” says Mr Mazrouei.
“I passed by one of the benches and he was sitting there. Very peaceful, very humble. A fatherly figure and the leader at the same time.”
Appreciating the values and life of Sheikh Zayed is now a full time responsibility of Mr Mazrouei, but on a much larger scale. He is the general manager of the Founder's Office, which is charged with ensuring the success of 2018 and the Year of Zayed.
Those celebrations can be said to have begun publicly with the opening of the Founder's Memorial on the Abu Dhabi Corniche.
Built on a site at the entrance to the breakwater road, it was once familiar for the giant portrait of the UAE’s Founding President that stood there for many years.
The Founder's Memorial will feature a spectacular artwork that captures the image of the late president, along with a visitor's centre with photographs and objects relating to Sheikh Zayed's life, and a garden that also celebrates his love of plants and environment.
“The Founder's Memorial is a huge effort that's been in the works for many years now,” says Mr Mazrouei.
“It's a space to commemorate Sheikh Zayed, about Sheikh Zayed and his achievements.
“Every single thing in the memorial has been studied, from the artwork, to the space, to the landscape. Every single thing has a meaning.”
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Read more
New memorial to commemorate the life of Sheikh Zayed to be unveiled on Monday
Remembering Zayed: From father of the UAE to world statesman
Foundations of a great friendship: Sheikh Zayed's 1990 visit to China
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After the formal opening on Monday night, attended by many of the most senior figures in the country as well as members of the Al Nahyan family, the public are expected to be given access soon afterwards.
For the Founder’s Office, the memorial is only a part of what will be a year of events to mark the birth of Sheikh Zayed in 1918.
They are assessing and assisting with every event – large and small – to mark the Year of Zayed, making sure, as Mr Mazrouei says: “It is done in a certain way, a presentable way.”
The bigger issue is what the Founder’s Office hopes to achieve with the Year of Zayed.
“It was chosen to commemorate him, to remind the previous generation about the achievements of Sheikh Zayed, the milestones he established in this country” says Mr Mazrouei. “And to educate the new generation that knows of him, but doesn’t know a lot about Sheikh Zayed.
"They recognise him as a leader - but it’s always different when we relate to him. We've lived during his time, but the new generation? It’s one of our responsibilities to make sure that they see and capture the achievements and the developments that took place; his values as a leader that we are currently continuing.”
Since the beginning of the year, the Founder’s Office has already received over 600 proposals for events and initiatives over the next 12 months. They have come from government organisations and the private sector, but also many individuals. Some have come from overseas.
They include books, exhibitions and charitable events but also an orchestra and a musical. “It’s very interesting how people see and want to remember Sheikh Zayed,” says Mr Mazrouei. “How do they want to talk about him, describe him, remember him? We’ve had a lot of types.”
The Founder’s Office is focusing on four values they see as best expressing Sheikh Zayed. Those of respect, wisdom, human development and sustainability.
“If you look at the topics of respect, today we have over 200 nationalities living in the UAE,” says Mr Mazrouei. “This did not come out of nowhere. He had a strong belief to respect different religions, to respect one another. This is something we would like to shed a light on, and to emphasise.”
Many proposals involve charitable projects. The thinking, says Mr Mazrouei, is that they should do more than just take the name of Sheikh Zayed, but also reflect his view of charity.
“This was one of the values of Sheikh Zayed. To help and see the growth and development of people around him. His success was to see everyone around him successful."
The Founder’s Office is working on its own ideas as well as supporting those of others. “There’s a lot in the pipeline,” Mr Mazrouei says. “There will be more to come and that’s one reason we are looking and screening at everything about Sheikh Zayed.”
The thinking is, he says, that some of more impactful events from the Year of Zayed might become permanent features in the calendar even after 2018.
There are hopes also that the restoration of Qasr Al Hosn, the birthplace of Sheikh Zayed, will be completed by the end of the year, after being closed to the public for nearly a decade.
And then there is National Day on December 2, perhaps inevitably the climax of the Year of Zayed.
“It’s going to be one of the biggest we’ve ever seen,” promises Mr Mazreouei.
“It’s still a work in progress, but the topic is Sheikh Zayed and you can image what will come out of this.”
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Specs
Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Results
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: RB Kings Bay, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: AF Ensito, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: AF Sourouh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Baaher, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
9pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Mootahady, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
9.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Dubai Canal, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Al Ain Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Harrab, Bernardo Pinheiro, Majed Al Jahouri
How Sputnik V works
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
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.”
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
