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UAE: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed appointed as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi

Sheikh Mohamed issues Emiri decree on the new appointment

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has been appointed as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued the Emiri decree announcing the appointment with the approval of the UAE Federal Supreme Council, the country’s highest constitutional authority that consists of Rulers of all seven Emirates. Sheikh Khaled is the eldest son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.

Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, Sheikh Khalid was previously appointed as Head of National Security on February 15, 2016.

Here are some of the initiatives he has spearheaded:

Promoting youth

Dedicated to helping the youth of the UAE, he directed the launch of a new government-led career-building programme that enabled school graduates, university graduates and job seekers to gain additional skills and springboard their careers. The new programme expanded on existing upskilling initiatives that helped more than 4,000 Emiratis to get full-time jobs in 2021.

The programme includes upskilling and personalised training in high-demand areas of science, digital technology, and data analytics – as well as career coaching. It will also provide access to apprenticeships, internships, first-step careers and specialist and practical training opportunities through partners.

He is also a patron of the Frontiers in Finance, a prestigious programme designed by Yale University, which was launched in Abu Dhabi in 2021, as part of efforts to continuously expand the emirate’s knowledge economy.

The programme aims to further build the skills of Emirati talent in the financial sector and build capacity in navigating the complexities of the financial and investment sectors.

During Expo 2020, Sheikh Khaled had also toured the Youth Pavilion and praised the young Emirati team behind the design and implementation of the pavilion, which aims to connect youth from around the world.

In March this year, he visited the Emirates Skills National Competition, met with gifted young Emirati students who are receiving technical and vocational training and praised their achievements in advanced technology projects that will help shape the UAE's economic future.

Clean energy

As the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed launched a new global renewable energy and green hydrogen venture between Adnoc and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA) in 2021.

The two energy giants will create a clean energy powerhouse, with a total generating capacity of at least 30 Gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy by 2030, that will position Abu Dhabi and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the forefront of the energy transition and further advance its global leadership role in green hydrogen.

Earlier, Sheikh Khaled had also launched a new clean energy partnership between Adnoc and Emirates Water and Electricity Company (EWEC), which will see up to 930 of the Adnoc’s grid power supplied by EWEC’s nuclear and solar clean energy sources.

Ghadan 21

The Dh50 billion three-year accelerator programme was launched in 2019 to focus on economy, knowledge and community. Led by its chairman Sheikh Khaled, the program has launched more than 50 initiatives in its first year with a raft of new plans to be rolled out in 2020 and 2021.

The aim of the Ghadan 21 program is to enhance Abu Dhabi’s competitiveness by investing in business, innovation and people. In 2019, a new platform called Hub71 to support high tech startups. A new Dh535 million fund, to invest in technology businesses established in Hub71 was also announced by Sheikh Khaled.

A climate lab was set up in Hub 71 during the launch of Abu Dhabi Climate Initiative, a coalition of Abu Dhabi government and government-backed partners to fast-track research and development in water and climate technology.

In response to global economic challenges in 2020 after the Covid-19 pandemic, the Abu Dhabi Executive Council launched an economic stimulus package, fast-tracking the implementation of key Ghadan 21 initiatives. Under the package, 16 initiatives have been announced to improve the ease of doing business and reduce the cost of living in the Emirate.

Promoter of sports

A keen follower of martial arts and practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu, Sheikh Khaled has been instrumental in turning Abu Dhabi into the global capital of of the sport.

In November 2022, Sheikh Khaled attended the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship. He also also awarded medals to the winners of the top three spots of the Youth category during the event. Last year, he also received the athletes and members of the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship organising committee after the national team performed spectacularly at the 6th Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championships in Bahrain, finishing with 16 medals and becoming the first country in the championship’s history to take home more than 50 per cent of gold medals.

In addition to Jiu-Jitsu, Sheikh Khalid has promoted several other sports in Abu Dhabi. In 2021, he oversaw the signing of a ground-breaking multi-year partnership agreement between the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi and the National Basketball Association that will see Abu Dhabi host the first NBA games in the Gulf

He also personally greeted cyclists participating in the UAE Tour as they passed the historic Qasr Al Hosn in Abu Dhabi last year. The UAE Tour, organised by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, is the only World Tour race in the Middle East. In March this year, he met with members of the Abu Dhabi Youth Council’s 5th cycle (2021-2023) and welcomed the members of the 6th cycle (2023-2025), wishing them success in advancing youth empowerment and community engagement across a variety of fields.

In December 2021, he witnessed the signing of an extended 10-year agreement between Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM) and the Formula One Group to host the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix until 2030.

Art lover

In February this year, Sheikh Khaled visited the National Identity Program for Visual Arts exhibition, a culmination of Adek’s first-ever National Identity in Visual Arts programme and features a unique and diverse collection of more than 500 artworks created by Emirati students.

The programme aims to equip UAE national students in the emirate’s private and charter schools with creative learning environments and the artistic skills to explore and express their reflections on the country’s national identity, heritage, culture, and values.

Last year, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed opened the House of Artisans at Al Hosn, featuring a new permanent exhibition to pay tribute to and celebrate UAE artisans.

The launch of the House of Artisans and its initiatives aims to encourage and support UAE artisans, promote their crafts, safeguard Abu Dhabi’s intangible heritage and preserve traditional crafts and practices as an intrinsic part of the UAE’s cultural identity.

He is also the patron of the Abu Dhabi art event which he inaugurated in November 2021. The event saw the participation of 49 galleries from 19 countries, representing 190 artists from around the world.

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