UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan passes away

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the second President of the United Arab Emirates and 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi, has passed away at age 73 on Friday.

Sheikh Nahyan, whose full name is Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa bin Shakhbout bin Theyab bin Issa bin Nahyan bin Falah bin Yas, is survived by his wife Sheikha Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei. He has eight children.

Work has been suspended at ministries, departments, federal and local institutions, and the private sector for three days, the state-run news agency, Wam, reported.

The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed said in a post on Twitter: “We belong to God and to Him we shall return. The Emirates lost its righteous son, the leader of the “empowerment stage” and the trustee of its blessed journey. His stances, achievements, wisdom, giving, and initiatives are visible in every corner of the country.

“Khalifa bin Zayed, my brother, my mentor, and my teacher, may God have mercy on you with his vast mercy and enter you into his good pleasure and paradise.”

The Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “Oh God, we witness that Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed has fulfilled his trust, and served his flock, and loved his people. Oh God, his people have been satisfied with him, so be pleased with him, and cover him with your mercy, and put him in your vast gardens, and inspire us and inspire his people, his family and his loved ones with patience and solace. We belong to God and to Him we shall return.”

Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed was raised in Al-Ain and became his father’s official representative to the region when the latter became emir in 1966.

Months prior to the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa was appointed prime minister of Abu Dhabi, which was retitled Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

When the UAE was established, Sheikh Khalifa assumed several positions in Abu Dhabi, including Prime Minister, head of the Abu Dhabi Cabinet, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Finance.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed assumed the office of president in 2004 after his father, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, passed away. Sheikh Nahyan was elected in 2009 to a second five-year term.

Before becoming president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed had been named deputy commander of the UAE Armed Forces in May 1976.

Sheikh Khalifa also became the head of the Supreme Petroleum Council in the late 1980s. Additionally, he was the chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency.

The appointment of a new Cabinet in February 2006, with Vice-President and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as prime minister, saw major changes in the government’s structure, according to a UAE government website.

These included new ministries devoted to streamlining and modernising the government, a new focus on community development and an important step towards reforming the political process through introducing indirect elections for half of the Federal National Council’s membership, the website said.

Sheikh Khalifa was also committed to building relationships with other countries through foreign aid.

Under his leadership, the UAE provided emergency assistance at times of natural disaster, and the UAE has become the world’s largest donor of humanitarian assistance relative to national income, as reported by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018.

 

During his rule, the landmark Emirati-Israeli peace deal the Abraham Accords was signed in August 2020.