Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of Emirates Foundation, outstanding Emirati youth were recognized for their contributions to the advancement of youth development in the UAE at the Emirates Foundation Annual Recognition Event.

At a special ceremony held at Saint Regis Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the Foundation also paid tribute to its strategic partners and programme mentors for their instrumental role, guidance and support of the Foundation’s mission to deliver impactful philanthropy.

During the Award Ceremony, Emirates Foundation also announced the winners of this year’s Emirates Award for the Arabian Gulf Youth (EAAGY), an initiative launched in 2014 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of Emirates Foundation. The award is part of the Foundation’s mission to encourage and mobilize GCC youth residing in the UAE to become active participants in social development.

The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Managing Director of Emirates Foundation. Also present were representatives of donor organizations and strategic partners and social philanthropy experts and activists.

In his speech, Sheikh Sultan paid tribute to the Emirati youth who are making their mark in the service of their country, whether in voluntary work and social engagement, innovation and social entre-preneurship, or in scientific and technological inventions. He also lauded the unequivocal com-mitment of Emirates Foundation’s partners and mentors for their continuous support, and con-gratulated the EAAGY winners and wished them success with their projects.

He further recognized Emirati youth who have dedicated their time to create a positive impact in communities across the UAE.

In his address, Sheikh Sultan talked about globalization and Science & Technology as one of the most important fields of study and work of our times. He encouraged youth to develop their skills and gain more knowledge to keep pace with the latest technological and global advances.

Addressing the Youth about social entrepreneurship, he said: ""If you want to par-ticipate in shaping the future then you need to think beyond conventional jobs and explore the realms of entrepreneurship. No other country in the region supports youth-led projects like the UAE and you must seize the moment."

He concluded by thanking all the partners and urging them to continue their support.

He further congratulated the youth and encouraged them to follow in the footsteps on the founding father, the late Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Emirates Foundation’s elite partners recognized during the ceremony, included Robert Stevens, Regional Director Supply Chain Management- Occidental Petroleum, Hatem Nuseibeh – President Total E&P UAE & Group representative in the UAE, Jassem Saleh Bussaibe - Chief Asset Management Officer- Aldar Properties, Reem Al-Buainain on behalf of ADNOC, Michael Bjorn Borealis VP for Middle East and Asia, Karim Sinno - Executive director, Head of treasury services for UAE, Oman, and Iraq- JP Morgan, Jongwon Eun - General Manager, Abu Dhabi Office- GS Energy, Omar Farid, President, PepsiCo MENA.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Managing Director of Emirates Foundation honored esteemed EAAGY panel judges for their tireless efforts and contributions to this year’s Awards and they included: Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO, Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development, Sultan Al Hajji, Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of Total E&P United Arab Emirates, Hisham Al Gurg CEO of SEED Group, Faisal Al Hammadi Managing Partner of Slices and Nabra Busaidi, Executive Director of Young Arab Leaders During the event, the top three winners of the Emirates Awards for Arabian Gulf Youth were announced. The first prize, an incubation grant of AED 100,000, went to "My Greenhouse". The second award, with an incubation grant of AED 70,000, went to "At3im By Foodate", while "Post of Hope", won the third place with an incubation grant of AED 50,000. As for the people’s choice award, the prize went to "Stratus".

The winning teams will have access to mentorship and technical support from Emirates Foundation and the SME youth network over the next 12 months.

The Award encourages GCC youth residing in the UAE to take a leading role in serving their communities. It also seeks to unleash young people’s social entrepreneurship potential and to establish leading social enterprises, which can address and tackling collective challenges and achieving sustainable outcomes.

Maytha Al Habsi, Deputy CEO of Emirates Foundation said: "Our Outstanding Emirati Youth being honored here today have demonstrated their commitment, independence and full comprehension of the needs of their communities. They have shown innovation, a sense national responsibility and integrity and we are proud of all their achievements across the board."

Al Habsi further stressed the importance of the Emirates Award for Arabian Gulf Youth and the great success achieved this year in building awareness amongst youth about the importance of social entrepreneurship and the social impact that can be achieved.

Al Habsi further stressed the important role play by the strategic partners in supporting the mission of Emirates Foundation. "Our partners today have been instrumental in the success of our programmes and their contributions carry a deep message aligned with the vision of our leadership towards the advancements of our nation. "

A video film displayed during the event gave glimpses of EF achievements in 2015, particularly the engagement of the UAE in the Foundation’s six major programmes: the social volunteering initiative ‘Takatof’, the National Emergency Response Volunteer Programme ‘Sanid’, the Financial Literacy programme ‘Esref Sah’ the career development programme ‘Kafa’at’, and ‘Think Science which encourages science innovations, and ‘Kayani’ an innovative programme to empower underprivileged youth in the UAE.