Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

20 May 2022

 

بِسمِ اللهِ الرحمٰنِ الرَحيم، والصلاةُ والسلام ُعلى أَشْرَفِ خَلْقِ الله، مُحَمَّدٍ بِنْ عَبْدالله، آخِرِ المُرْسَلينَ وخاتَمِ النَّبييّنَ والْذي أُرْسِلَ رَحْمَةً للعالَمينَ، أمّا بَعْد،،، 

أَصحابُ السَّعادَةِ … 

السَّيِّدات والسَّادة … 

في بِدَايةِ حَديثي أَتَقَدّْمُ بِأحَّرِ التعازي والمُواساةِ لِحَضْرَةِ صَاحِبَ السُّمُوِ الشيخ محمّد بن زايد آل نهيان، رئيسُ دَولة الإماراتِ العربيةِ المُتّحِدةِ وحاكِمِ إمارة َأبوظبي، وإلى حُكومَةِ وشَعبَ الإماراتِ العَزيزِ، بِوَفاِة صاحِبَ السُّمُوِالشيخ خليفة بن زايد آل نهيّان، طيّب الله ثراه. 

 

Excellencies, 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Today, we are assembled to pay our respects to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. 

On behalf of the General Assembly, I wish to convey our deepest condolences to the Government and people of the United Arab Emirates, as well as to the family of the departed leader. 

Under Sheikh Khalifa Al-Nahyan’s visionary leadership, the UAE has emerged as a regional economic powerhouse, a global player, and the first Arab nation to send a mission to Mars.  

With the late President’s strategic foresight and political wisdom, complemented by a healthy ambition and genuine desire to achieve socio-economic progress, the UAE has today evolved into an aviation, finance, education, renewable energy, technology, culture and tourism hub.  

Making available world class education and training opportunities for all Emiratis,  and enabling women to play their role in serving society side by side with their male compatriots in every area of national assignment were also part of the late President’s visionary approach to governance.  

While we talk about the social contract in the Our Common Agenda report, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa understood implicitly the importance of the social contract between the ruling family and the people, and sought always to find ways of honoring and developing it.  

The Khalifa Housing Fund is a fine example of this social contract which provided affordable financing to meet the demand for housing. 

Excellencies,  

His Highness was a strong advocate for the primacy of diplomacy and dialogue, for maintaining peace and stability in the region, and for promoting multilateralism and global solidarity to address complex issues.  

He believed in empowering women through increased participation in decision-making and ensured gender parity in high-ranking government positions. In fact, according to the World Bank, the UAE has the highest level of women participating in the workforce – at 57.5 percent in 2020 – of any country in the MENA region. 

He embraced the tenets of sustainable development to build a modern, vibrant nation, guided by his late father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed. 

Excellencies, 

Sheikh Khalifa’s larger than life legacy demonstrated sheer political will and astute politico-economic acumen.  

He showed the world what transformative leadership is all about – genuine compassion for his people and the region, courage to break barriers, and a clear vision for the future. 

May I also extend my very best wishes to Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the new President of the United Arab Emirates. 

Let me conclude by quoting the late UAE President: 

“The Union is the fruit of a good tree planted by our fathers who dreamed of the idea with hope, took care of it with their dedication to raise the flag of the Union as high as they could and strengthened its pillars. They are really the spirit of the Union”. 

I thank you. 

رَحِمَ اللّهُ مَنْ أحَبَّ وَطَنَهُ وشَعبَهُ، فَبادَلوهُ الحُبُّ والوَلاء، وَغَفَرَ اللهُ لِقائدَ المَسيرةِ وراعي النَهضَةِ … اللهم طَيّب ثَراهُ، وأكْرِم مَثواه، واجعَل الجَنَةَ والفِردوس َالأعلى مُستَقَّرَهُ ومَأواه …  إنّا لله وإنّا إليهِ راجِعون …