The Arab-African Initiative is an initiative founded to implement the Millennium Development Goals in Africa and in the Arab World.
Conceived during a series of meetings in 2006 between Dr. Hamdi Saleh, Ambassador of Egypt to Mozambique and Swaziland from 2004 to 2007, Dr. Jeffery Sachs, Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the UN, and Tokyo Sexwale, currently Minister of Human Settlements for the South African Government. The Arab African Initiative was inaugurated on September 17, 2006, in New York. in a meeting chaired by the President of the General Assembly Sheikha Haya Al Rashed Al Khalifa and with the approval of the former Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Its objective is to implement the Millennium Development Goals in Africa and in the Arab World. It seeks to bridge the existing gaps between financing institutions, developmental authorities, and business community, in order to mobilize resources, expertise and capabilities for capacity building in Africa and the Arab World.
The organization has offices in Cairo, Egypt, and Johannesburg, South Africa.
The organization participated in the 2006 debate at the UN Headquarters in New York "Partnerships towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Taking stock, moving forward" that was organized by H.E. Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa, President of the United Nations General Assembly. The debate recognized the critical need for partnerships in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
In 2007 the Arab-African Initiative held a conference in Cairo to decide a plan of action to ensure the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa. The conference was under the sponsorship of Mrs. Susan Mubarak and was attended by a range of political leaders, such as Queen Ntombi of Swaziland, and several leaders of charity groups and business from the Persian Gulf region. Also represented at the conference were several leaders of charity groups and business groups from the Persian Gulf, Islamic banks, including the Dubai Islamic Bank and the Noor Islamic Bank, and Arab funding institutions such as the Islamic Development Bank and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. Featured was a televised speech by Dr. Jeffery Sacks, a speech by Tokyo Sexwale, and a presentation from Princess Haya Al Hussein of Dubai.
The 2008 Arab-African Initiative Sports for Peace and Development Program was based on the idea that sport can serve as an effective mechanism to unite persons of different backgrounds and nationalities, and also develop essential life skills in young people. Especially important in post-conflict areas where the provision of sporting equipment is often an effective way to restore normal life. The conference received messages from Wilfriend Lemke, Special Adviser to the Sectary General of the United Nations Sports for Development and Peace, FIFA representatives, and Sheikh Mohammad Saqr Al-Qassimi, Chairman of the UAE Sports Committee.
In 2009 the organization held a conference called "Partnership for Development: The Arab Word and Africa". The 2-day workshop, held in Dubai, dealt with how to strengthen partnerships and economic cooperation between the Arab and African regions. H.R.H. Queen Matsebula of Swaziland, as well as Ministers of Angola, Mozambique, and South Africa attended the conference. The guest of honor was H.E. Dr. Anwar M. Gargash, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates.
In 2010 the organization participated, in conjunction with The Middle East Center for International Cooperation and George Mason University, in the Washington D.C.–based conference "Building Bridges: U.S. – Islamic Partnerships and Social Change". This was convened as a follow-up to President Obama's Summit on Entrepreneurship, with a view to broaden President Obama’s efforts within civil society. The conference featured contributions from a number of political, educational, and business leaders. Including Senator Birch Bayh II, former U.S. Senator for Indiana, and Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships.
The United Arab Emirates is a high-income developing market economy. The UAE's economy is the 4th largest in the Middle East, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$415 billion in 2021-2023.
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani is a member of the ruling Al Thani Qatari royal family. He was the ruling Emir of Qatar from 1995 until 2013 when he abdicated the throne, handing power to his fourth son Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who was born to his second spouse, Moza bint Nassir. The Qatari government refers to him as the Father Emir.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the vice president and prime minister of the UAE. Mohammed succeeded his brother Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as UAE vice president, UAE prime minister, and ruler of Dubai following the latter's death in 2006.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, serving from November 2004 until his death in May 2022.
Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned is one of the three consorts of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former Emir of the State of Qatar. She is the mother of the current Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. She is the co-founder and chair of the Qatar Foundation, the largest state-owned NPO in the country. The Guardian has labelled her "the enlightened face of a profoundly conservative regime.
Princess Haya bint Al Hussein is the daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife, the Palestinian Queen Alia. She is the half-sister of King Abdullah II.
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa is a lawyer and diplomat from Bahrain. As ambassador to France 1999-2004 she became Bahrain's first ever female ambassador. She is one of the first women to practice law in Bahrain, and the third ever woman to preside at the UN General Assembly.
Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa is the first wife and consort of the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. She is the mother of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
The 2nd European Union - African Union Summit, which was held on 8 December – 9 December 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal, was the second summit between heads of state and government from EU and Africa. It was hosted by Portugal, the holder of the EU's rotating presidency. During the summit, the "Joint EU-Africa Strategy", the "Action Plan" and the "Lisbon Declaration" were adopted.
According to Human Rights Watch, there is substantial discrimination against women in the United Arab Emirates. The status of women has improved over the years. UAE performs better on metrics of gender equality than many other states in the Gulf region, and it has been making reforms to protect women's rights and empower women in different sectors. Critics describe some of these reforms as window dressing.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bahrain:
TICAD Delegations are those attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), which is a conference held every five years in Japan with the objective "to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners." The first four of these conferences were held in Tokyo; and the fifth one was held in nearby Yokohama.
Juma al Majid is an Emirati businessman, political adviser, and philanthropist. He is the founder and chairman of Juma Al Majid Holding Group. In 2016, Al Majid was ranked among the richest Arabs in the world.
China – United Arab Emirates relations refer to the diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the United Arab Emirates. Diplomatic ties were first established in 1984. The UAE maintains an embassy in Beijing and a consulate-general in Hong Kong while China has an embassy in Abu Dhabi and consulate-general in Dubai. The UAE and China have been strong international allies, with significant cooperation across economic, political and cultural aspects.
Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani is the sister of Qatar's ruling Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and daughter of the country's former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his second wife Sheikha Moza bint Nasser Al-Missned. Al-Mayassa was declared the most influential person in art on Art+Auction's top-10 list and ArtReview's Power 100, and prominently appears on the Time 100, and Forbes' The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She was listed in the 'Top 100 most powerful Arabs' from 2014 to 2017 and 2021 by Gulf Business. Al-Mayassa serves as Chairperson of Qatar Museums, and it was reported by Bloomberg that her annual acquisition budget on behalf of the organization is estimated at $1 billion.
The United Arab Emirates-United Kingdom relationship is a historical relationship that dates back to 1820 with the signing of General Maritime Treaty of 1820.
Doha GOALS—Gathering of All Leaders In Sport—is an initiative designed as a "call to action" for the role that sport plays as a driver for social and economic change. The initiative, from the Aspire Zone Foundation and Richard Attias & Associates, will build a community of global influencers from all industries who believe that sport is a crucial vehicle for social and economic development. Doha Goals Forum is already a well-known manifestation, where many projects can be evoked. For example, during the third edition, in November 2014, Hassan Al Thawadi repeated that Qatar "can organize the World Cup in summer".
Silatech is an organization based in Qatar, founded by Mozah bint Nasser. The current CEO of this organization is Mr. Hassan Al Mulla. Silatech means "your connection" in Arabic. The initiative seeks to create jobs and economic opportunities for young people in the Arab world, targeting 18- to 30-year-olds. by 2016, Silatech claims to have helped 200,000 young Arabs to obtain jobs. The initiative’s model involves building partnerships with governments, private companies and NGOs.
Malini N. Menon is an Indian entrepreneur based in the United Arab Emirates. She is the Founder and managing director of IEDEA,, a business ideation and network facilitation agency engaged in the IP development of branded business events and PR initiatives that are focused on sustainable investor outreach and acquisition located in Jumeirah Lake Towers, under the DMCC Free Zone, Dubai, UAE.