The first anniversary… Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of the empowerment stage
Today is the first anniversary of the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was the second president of the UAE. Bin Zayed dedicated his life to the service of the country and wisely led the empowerment phase to strengthen state-building at all levels.
Sheikh Khalifa left the UAE in a state of progress and prosperity. His years as president were filled with development and concern for citizens throughout their lives.
Who is Sheikh Khalifa Al Nahyan?
Sheikh Khalifa Al Nahyan was born in 1948. The UAE did not exist as a country but rather was a land inhabited by fishing and pearl groups. The Al Nahyan family was instrumental in transforming the place into the UAE.
“When the UAE was founded in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa was the Crown Prince of the richest country and the capital of the country, Abu Dhabi.”
His Fruitful Works
In 2004, after the death of his father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder of the state, Khalifa, like his father, continued to modernize his country, helping it become a haven of stability, invest in the country’s armed forces, and develop a lucrative energy sector.
Abroad, he has fostered traditional alliances with countries like the United Kingdom, while boosting business relationships with new partners.
Under the leadership of Khalifa Al Nahyan, the UAE invested its immense oil wealth in globally recognized airlines, precious assets, athletic powers, and major international events, which collectively put the country on the map and turned it into a global tourist destination.
In 2010, his deteriorating health increasingly kept Sheikh Khalifa out of the public spotlight and he underwent surgery after a stroke in 2014, but his modernizing vision of the country continued under the leadership of his half-brother, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and current UAE president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
Sheikh Khalifa launched several initiatives to improve the quality of life for UAE citizens.
The most prominent initiatives include the Sheikh Khalifa Award for Excellence, which the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry launched in 1999 as a roadmap and methodology for continuous improvement to strengthen the competitiveness of the UAE’s business sector.
The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation for Humanitarian Action was established in 2007 and its vision is for groundbreaking initiatives to serve humanity — its health and education strategy is focused locally, regionally, and globally.
