Sheikh Khalifa is a man of prestige, authority and hard-earned mettle. As a leader, he has paved the way for many socio-economic reforms and led the country through many hardships to achieve the present position he is in. He has provided jobs for the youth, dismantled hierarchies, constructed architectural wonders, as well as made sure that the common man was provided for. As a leader, he has exerted the right amount of authority and gained prestige from all the right sources. Hence, it comes as no surprise that he is ranked 43'rd on Forbes Most Powerful List.
"There are nearly 7.5 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 75 men and women make the world turn. Forbes’ annual ranking of The World’s Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most,” Forbes said.
"This year's ranking of The World's Most Powerful People highlights the consolidation of power in the hands of an elite few,” said Forbes Contributing Editor David Ewalt. “China's Xi Jinping ranks in first place for the first time, unseating Vladimir Putin, who held the top spot for four consecutive years. This also makes President Trump only No. 3 on the list, which is unprecedented only a year into his term.”
Sheikh Khalifa is the only leader from the UAE on this list.
The study said that the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is one of the Arab leaders who has contributed and continues to make generous contributions to local, Arab and international issues, adding that his significant efforts and contributions in building the UAE can not be overemphasised.
Sheikh Zayed is known as a man of excellence and has been tirelessly working towards taking the nation to greater heights.
For example, Sheikh Zayed Foundation, is a non-profit organization that was created in 1993 in Rabat. Focusing primarily on the health sector, this fund is oriented towards the Moroccan university-hospital sphere as well as ensuring quality social services oriented towards future health practitioners. It is named after the man himself.
This fund led to the improvement of treatments, hospital infrastructure and medical equipment.
In 2006, the Sorbonne opened its Abu Dhabi campus, the prestigious Paris university which had no other campuses prior to this. It was due to the entrepreneurial instincts of Sheikh Khalifa that this became possible, and his vision has translated into a university that imparts education as a value-system and a commodity, refined and polished.
Sheikh Khalifa assumed his posts as the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and as the President of the United Arab Emirates on 3 November 2004. He succeeded his father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who served as the UAE's President from 1971 to 2004.
After being elected as the President, Sheikh Khalifa launched his first strategic plan for the government of the UAE to achieve balanced and sustainable development in order to ensure the prosperity of UAE nationals.
His key objectives as President of the UAE was to continue on the path laid down by his father, whose legacy, he says, "will continue to be the beacon guiding us into the future, a prosperous future where security and stability will reign."
Sheikh Khalifa has been a trendsetter and pioneer in more ways than one. He steered the oil and gas sectors into a period of high-impact growth, thus leading to economic diversification of the country.
43'rd position on this list of powerful people is no mean feat. It clearly shows that Forbes has recognized the vision and efforts put in by Sheikh Khalifa and given him the regonition he deserves.
In 2016, he ranked 39'th on the list of most powerful people by the same magazine.
'As hereditary ruler of Abu Dhabi, the richest emirate in the UAE, Al Nahyan is among the world's wealthiest monarchs. It's not all from oil, although he does control 97.8 billion barrels of proven reserves; he also runs one of the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, with reported assets of almost US$800 billion (Dh2.9 trillion). The UAE has gone to the mat in the war against Islamist extremists, particularly [Daesh], which has resulted in unexpectedly high military casualties.” -- Forbes 2016
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