Legacy of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, until then President of the UAE, passed away on 13 May. For 40 days, our country mourned the loss of a pivotal figure in the development of the UAE, after Sheikh Khalifa succeeded UAE Founding Father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 2004. 

During his reign, Sheikh Khalifa served the UAE wisely, continuing the vision Sheikh Zayed designed for our country. Sheikh Khalifa spared no effort to ensure the development of Emirati society; a development based on the values of tolerance and mutual understanding. His drive to make the UAE a global benchmark in areas such as women's empowerment, multilateralism, interfaith dialogue, scientific innovation and economic growth have reaffirmed our country's position as a role model in the Middle East and around the world. 

As part of his monumental legacy, Sheikh Khalifa leaves behind a country where more than 200 nationalities live together in peace and harmony; a country where everyone is invited to practice their faith openly and freely. Under his leadership, more than 57 places of worship were built in the UAE for all major religions, including churches, synagogues and temples. In addition, this year will see the opening in Abu Dhabi of the Abrahamic Family House, a place of worship and reflection for Christians, Jews and Muslims.

The opening of this centre, the only one of its kind in the world, is just one more example of Sheikh Khalifa's lifelong commitment to promoting tolerance and interfaith dialogue. This was also demonstrated by His Holiness the Pope's visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019, the first visit by a pontiff to the Arabian Gulf. During his visit, the historic Document on Human Fraternity was signed, which proved to be a fundamental breakthrough for understanding between Catholicism and Islam. 

Sheikh Khalifa saw first-hand, during Sheikh Zayed's tenure, that the UAE's success story has been the result of international engagement and continued collaboration with partners around the world. Like his father, Sheikh Khalifa was a tenacious advocate of multilateralism as a means to achieve peace and prosperity on a global scale. 

This spirit and these values of Sheikh Khalifa extend today throughout our society; a people proud to stand alongside their neighbours in efforts to strengthen international cooperation, reaching out beyond our region and working to strengthen our relations with key allies such as Spain. 

Moreover, we are honoured that the international community appreciates our values and our commitment to promoting multilateralism, as evidenced by our election to the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council for the third time in our country's history.

For many decades, we have also been among the world's leading donors of humanitarian aid. The UAE upholds non-discrimination as part of our foreign aid policy to ensure that the most vulnerable groups can receive aid without bias. Under Sheikh Khalifa's leadership, the UAE has donated more than $55.33 billion in humanitarian aid around the world over the past 10 years, and we will continue to build on his legacy to ensure that anyone who needs help can access it.

On the economic front, we are proud to see that Sheikh Khalifa fostered one of the most attractive business environments in the world for international companies, allowing us, in part, to diversify our economy by more than 70% away from oil and gas, in line with a strategic vision of long-term sustainable development.

With a low-tax environment, more than 34 free and specialised zones, and very attractive legislation to promote foreign direct investment, the UAE has succeeded in attracting foreign investors to choose the country as a strategic partner. We are proud to host more than 3,200 foreign companies in our territory today, including almost 180 Spanish companies.  

Moreover, our commitment to foreign companies and the international community has allowed us to become a world leader in areas such as trade, commodities trading, investment, tourism and finance, and we are determined to be pioneers in areas such as artificial intelligence and space.

This was demonstrated by the historic milestone we reached last year when we became the first Arab country to launch a space probe to Mars, a sign of how our country looks to the future with ambition and hope.

In fact, 34% of the Emirates Mars Mission team was made up of women, a result of our country's commitment to the empowerment of women in all fields. Sheikh Khalifa introduced a series of legal reforms to require by law companies and government entities to have women on their boards, and women now make up almost a third of our country's ministerial positions and 50% of the Federal National Council, the UAE's consultative parliamentary body, which held its first elections in 2006, under Sheikh Khalifa's presidency.

The fact that women enjoy full equality in rights and pay is a result of Sheikh Khalifa's and the UAE Government's shared determination to ensure that women achieve their full potential in our society.

Ultimately, Sheikh Khalifa dedicated his life to enabling the UAE to reach its full potential as an example to our region. History will remember him as a pivotal figure not only for the development of our country, but also for shaping our identity as a model for our efforts to achieve peace, security and prosperity. As we mourn the loss of Sheikh Khalifa, we also celebrate the indelible mark he has left on our society.

Sheikh Khalifa's legacy will be with us as we continue our path of growth and diversification under the leadership of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was unanimously elected by the UAE Federal Supreme Council to succeed Sheikh Khalifa as President of the UAE. 

HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed's vision is in line with that of our Founding Father and the late Sheikh Khalifa. Under the leadership of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the UAE will continue to work with our international partners for the benefit of the global community, advocating for peace and stability, mutual understanding and sustainable growth around the world. 

Majid Al Suwaidi, Ambassador to Spain of the United Arab Emirates