ABU DHABI // As well as being the elected male and female presidents of the national student body, Mohammed and Hajer al Khanji have something else in common - they are brother and sister.
Founded in 1981, the Emirates National Student Association addresses academic and social issues, from concerns about curricula to the price of meals on campuses.
It also looks at broader topics, from the importance of Arabic to the Palestinian conflict, as well as advocating volunteer work and social responsibility.
The al Khanjis are both passionate about the responsibilities that come with their respective positions.
The association, Mohammed said, a 25-year-old engineering management student at the University of Wollongong in Dubai, helps students' voices be heard by the people who make the big decisions that affect their lives.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, meets members of the association monthly, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, recently funded two scientific trips for members of the association.
"Our main goal is to serve students, to address their concerns and take them to Sheikh Nahyan and the different leaders," Mohammed said. "We are trying to help the UAE as it's developing."
Even before Hajer went to university, she had watched her brother become increasingly engaged in campaigning.
"I had a background from him and saw him working at home on projects," she said. It inspired her to get involved - although their roles are very different.
She is particularly interested in the issue of maternity leave, a concern for students because many Emirati girls are married by the time they start university. The choice between education and motherhood is one they should not have to make, she insists.
While companies have to give new mothers 45 days off, no such requirement applies to students. Typically, they take just a week out of their studies.
Campus food prices are a big issue for students, too. "They spend all day there and eat two meals, and many say their budget isn't covering the cost of food," said Hajer, a final-year architectural engineering student at UAE University. She is embarking on a project to investigate food prices at campuses around the country.
The efforts of the al Khanjis and others like them are appreciated by the university hierarchy, especially in the context of youth involvement in the protests that have flared up in other countries around the region.
"Students have to play an important role in shaping their society, especially when the population is young, like here," said Professor Abdul Sabouni, the vice chancellor of Al Hosn University in the capital.
His institution has a number of student associations, including a recently founded chapter of the Emirates National Students Association.
Giving students freedom of speech and choice, he said, will help them play a more constructive role in society.
"They will be players rather than dissidents, because they are part of the game," Prof Sabouni said, "and this can only be by maintaining the freedom the students have in universities."
Youssif al Jabri, 22, is the president of the American University of Sharjah's student council. Elected by students, he said his biggest challenge so far has been persuading doubters to fall in line with the university's decision to become the country's first smoke-free campus.
He and his team are campaigning for a week's study leave for final-year students, a subject that is particularly close to his heart. "We finish on a Thursday and start our exams on the Saturday," he said. "Students need time to prepare."
Without the student council, individuals would feel powerless, he said. "As individuals, they can't reach the top administration. It's up to us to reflect their needs."
The associations also serve a more direct purpose, according to Nadia Khoury, a third-year student at Gulf Medical University who formed the Pharmacy Students Association last year. It already has members from several institutions including Ajman University and Dubai Pharmacy College.
"It's a great way to share knowledge, academically and professionally," she said. "We are connecting students with employers, so it's a great networking tool for us."
Rory Hume, the provost of UAE University, recognises that the associations are an important part of student life. "It's better for students to meet together and know they will be listened to," he said.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
