Nahyan bin Mubarak and Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed attend United Arab Emirates University’s Golden Jubilee celebration

His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court, have attended a ceremony hosted by United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) at the Islamic Institute in Al Ain Region to mark its Golden Jubilee.

The ceremony celebrated 50 years since the establishment of the UAE’s first national university in 1976 and recognised its contributions to higher education and the country’s development.

During the ceremony, His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan presented His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan with UAEU’s Golden Jubilee sash in recognition of his longstanding contributions to the university. His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan served as the university’s Supreme President for three decades, from 1983 to 2013, and played a significant role in advancing its academic development and strengthening its position as a leading national institution in the UAE’s higher education sector.

In his address, His Excellency said: “I would like to begin by expressing my deepest thanks, gratitude and appreciation to my dear brother, His Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain Region, for his interest in this gathering and his commitment to affirming the place of United Arab Emirates University in the life of our society. This reflects His Highness’ clear vision, firm resolve and steadfast and growing dedication to advancing our communities and improving people’s lives across Al Ain Region and throughout the UAE. May God reward him for all that he has done.

“I also extend my warm greetings to my dear brother, His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, and thank him for honouring us with his presence at this ceremony on behalf of my brother, His Highness Sheikh Hazza. I deeply appreciate the goodwill and sincerity that his presence conveys. I also extend my thanks and gratitude to my esteemed brother, His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, for his kind words. I greatly appreciate his dedicated efforts to ensure that United Arab Emirates University remains a university of international standing by every measure.

“I am pleased to express my sincere thanks to you all for this honour and to share how proud I am to receive the Golden Jubilee sash from this university, which holds a special place in my heart and is now our nation’s leading institution for education, research, innovation and creativity.

“It is a source of real pride that, in its fiftieth year, United Arab Emirates University stands stronger than ever and takes even greater pride in its achievements. Allow me to point out that none of this would have been possible without the wise vision of the late Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of our nation and founder of this university, may God rest his soul. His firm support for the university and his deep interest in its progress helped make these achievements possible. That support and attention have continued, thanks be to God, under His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, may God protect him. His Highness has consistently emphasised that high-quality university education is essential to advancing human development throughout our nation. You can all take pride in the President’s confidence in United Arab Emirates University, in his commitment to deepening its role in society and in his determination to see it continue to develop and grow in a way that meets the ambitions of the nation and the aspirations of its sons and daughters.

“The support that the university receives from His Highness the President is also reflected, by God’s grace, in the backing it receives from the UAE’s leaders and in the pride it inspires across society. We pray that the university will continue to live up to the confidence everyone has placed in it and that it will thrive and help shape a bright tomorrow and a hopeful future for our beloved UAE, God willing.”

“The 30 years I spent serving this university are years I look back on with reflection and appreciation. I had the honour of working alongside dear colleagues in the university community to put its development on a firm footing, and together we achieved a great deal in service of our beloved UAE. I am very proud that the university today serves both the present and the future. It brings great benefit to our country, enriches the lives of its sons and daughters, and commands widespread respect for its work, its contributions and its achievements.

“It is a genuine pleasure to receive this honour today from such a distinguished university. I accept it with great respect and appreciation, and I take this opportunity to express my thanks and gratitude to my esteemed brother, His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, and to everyone who works at the university. I wish you all continued success. I am confident that your enthusiasm for the university’s future, your belief in its direction, your sustained work and your efforts to improve every aspect of its operations will, God willing, fulfil the vision of its late founder and of His Highness the President. They will also fulfil the hopes of the university’s friends and supporters that it will take its place among the world’s leading universities.

“Once again, thank you for honouring me with the university’s Golden Jubilee sash. I wish you all success now and in the years ahead as you work to ensure that United Arab Emirates University continues to excel and develop. Please accept my warmest congratulations as the university enters its fiftieth year. May it remain in God’s care and under His protection, sustained by the confidence and ambitions of our leadership, a source of pride to its students and graduates, and closely connected to the institutions of our society.

“I am certain that United Arab Emirates University will always be guided by the words of the late Sheikh Zayed, who said that education is a lamp that lights the way in the darkness. May God have mercy on you, Sheikh Zayed, for all the good you did. This university is one of the fruits of what you planted in our union. It has always kept that lamp burning brightly and will continue to do so for generations of Emiratis, for our society and for our nation, today and in the years ahead, God willing. May God grant you success, and may peace, mercy and the blessings of God be upon you.”

His Excellency Sheikh Khalifa bin Tahnoon bin Mohammed Al Nahyan highlighted UAEU’s role over the past five decades in supporting the country’s social and economic development. He noted that the university had educated generations of Emirati professionals and leaders, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to contribute across key sectors, strengthen the UAE’s competitiveness and advance its long-term ambitions.

His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to the UAE President and Chancellor of United Arab Emirates University, delivered the opening remarks. He recalled the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Founding Father of the UAE, in establishing the country’s first national university to give Emiratis access to higher education and prepare them to contribute to building their country and take responsibility for its future. His Excellency said that bringing together generations of alumni, university leaders and partners for the Golden Jubilee reflected UAEU’s place in the nation’s collective memory and the close ties it had built with government institutions and the wider community.

The ceremony was attended by His Excellency Dr Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and Her Excellency Dr Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State, alongside senior officials, heads of public and private institutions, and representatives of national entities.

Over the past five decades, UAEU has helped lay the foundations for university education in the UAE and prepared Emirati graduates for careers across a wide range of disciplines. It has also advanced scientific research, strengthened academic partnerships and supported the development of the country’s knowledge and innovation ecosystem in line with national priorities and global developments.

The Golden Jubilee provided an opportunity to celebrate UAEU’s academic legacy and recognise the generations who helped establish and develop it. The occasion also reaffirmed the university’s continuing role in building a knowledge-based society and strengthening the UAE’s position as a regional and global hub for education, research and innovation.