Committed to Empowering Emiratri Youth, EMIRATES FOUNDATION TAKES PART in THE UAE- UK PIONEERS FORUM 2015 in London

As part of its commitment to empowering Emirati youth, Emirates Foundation’s Chief Sustainability Officer Khuloud Al Nuwais represented the organization at the UAE-UK Pioneers Forum 2015 in London, United Kingdom.

In its second year, the Forum took place at the Park Plaza Hotel on Friday, February 6th and brought together some of UAE’s most competitive businesses to connect with ambitious and talented Emirati students in the United Kingdom. Innovation was chosen as the theme for this year’s forum as many exciting opportunities have been created from the UAE’s vision for growth in the 21st century and beyond. With some of the largest architectural projects in the world, a Mars probe scheduled for launch within the decade, and Expo 2020 expected to attract 25 million visitors to the country, the UAE represents a frontier of great possibility for new talent.

Alongside the career fair, the forum also invited students to participate in numerous talks and panel discussions, including talks by Etihad Rail, Khalifa Fund, the UAE Space Agency, and Watani Al Emarat Foundation. Panel discussions covered topics such as, Banking, Infrastructure and Telecoms, and Social Responsibility.

The forum was hosted by the ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UAE Embassy in the UK, attended by UAE Ambassador in the UK, HE Abdul Rahman Ghanem Al Mutaiwee, first secretary Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, and several Emirati dignitaries and senior leadership figures as well as 300 Emirati students.

“The 2015 UAE -UK Pioneers Forum presented a great opportunity for the Emirates Foundation to connect with young aspiring Emiratis studying in the UK and Western Europe to find out more about future job opportunities in the foundation. The forum is a platform that allows students to engage with future recruiters. “It also enabled youth to learn more about the Foundation’s innovative business approaches to youth empowerment, reinforcing the need for Emiratis that have business acumen skills to sustain the foundations work in the long term. Khuloud Al Nuwais said
“With the aim of creating a long term sustainable impact on youth through its six successful programs, Emirates Foundation enables the empowerment of youth providing them with skills and tools to ensure they are valuable members of the UAE society who contribute towards the sustainable development of the nation,” she added.

During the Forum guest speakers from a range of disciplines spoke about innovation from a variety of angles, reinforcing the positive image of the UAE as a place for young and ambitious graduates to blaze a trail. Al Nuwais was hosted as a panelist discussing ‘social responsibility and spoke of how Key social issues facing youth in the UAE can be solved through innovative approaches tackling some of these challenges facing their own communities highlighting

the Emirates Award for Arabian Gulf Youth which was Launched last year under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah the Award an example and a reflection of the Foundation’s vision of encouraging youth to explore innovation, developing their skills and enabling them to better serve their communities through entrepreneurship. The competition encouraged youth from around the region to solve the challenges facing society through the creation of a social enterprise. The winners were awarded seed money to take their Initiatives forward”. Al Nuwais said.

About Emirates Foundation
Emirates Foundation was launched in April 2005 as an initiative of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It is chaired by HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 2012, the Emirates Foundation was re-launched as an integrated national initiative that seeks to invest in UAE youth. The new strategy uses the model venture philanthropy with a view to impacting the lives of young people in the UAE positively and permanently. To achieve this, the Foundation is running six programs (Kayani, Kafa’at, Sanid, Esref Sah, Think Science and Takatof) in three key focus areas: social inclusion; community engagement; and leadership and empowerment. It will seek to identify, educate and inform the public about challenges facing UAE youth while developing sustainable, enterprise-based solutions to social issues and motivating young Emiratis to volunteer, participate and give back to society.

Emirates Foundation works to enhance partnerships between private and public sectors, in order to develop sustainable ways of helping young people in the UAE make an active contribution to the country’s development. EF is funded through contributions from the Abu Dhabi government and private sector companies.