UAE National Day: Sheikha Fatima recalls fond memories of Sheikh Zayed


  • English
  • Arabic

The UAE's Mother of the Nation, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, said celebrating National Day brought back precious memories of the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed.

Sheikha Fatima, who is also chairwoman of the General Women's Union and president of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said Sheikh Zayed and the other Rulers established a country that had wowed the world.

She also paid tribute to the contribution of Emirati women and said women's empowerment was an important part of the UAE's strategy, Wam reported.

"As we end a federal year full of hard work, giving, achievements and cultural gains at local, regional and international levels, we will enter a new year while reinforcing our efforts, promoting co-operation, uniting our visions and committing to our values that led to the success of our beloved country," said Sheikha Fatima, who was the wife of Sheikh Zayed.

"We will aim to spread our values, preserve our heritage and achieve the highest levels of sustainable development."

Sheikha Fatima expressed her pride in the achievements of Emirati women. Sheikh Zayed always believed in the role of women in the community since the establishment of the country in 1971.

She said the country’s leadership followed the same approach, enabling Emirati women to become innovators, pioneers and overachievers.

"We directed the General Women’s Union to draft a national strategy to support future women’s empowerment plans, in line with the announcement of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid [Vice President and Ruler of Dubai] and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed [Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces] that 2020 will be the year of preparations for the next 50 years," she said.

She also highlighted outstanding achievements by Emirati women. There are nine female ministers in the UAE Cabinet managing key portfolios such as advanced sciences, youth affairs, community development, culture, public education, international co-operation and food and water security.

Women's representation in the Federal National Council also increased to 50 per cent of members and there are 19,153 women working in the federal government.

The UAE has been marking its 49th birthday while ensuring the safety of everyone because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Buildings lit up with the UAE flag, while traditional firework displays can be watched online.

______________

Sheikh Zayed and the story of a nation

Wydad 2 Urawa 3

Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'

Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much of your income do you need to save?

The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.

In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)

Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.

 

The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

Top Hundred overseas picks

London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith 

Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah 

Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott

Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz

Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw

Trent Rockets: Colin Munro

Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson

Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock