Overview of the Special Envoy
Mission
The Special Envoy’s mission is to support the UAE’s diplomatic efforts in achieving its national vision by enhancing communication and coordination among and between the UAE government, the private sector, and philanthropic leaders in the UAE, while strategically engaging the private sector internationally.
Whole-of-Society Approach
This approach recognises that coordinated collective action can achieve more than the sum of its parts. It adopts a whole-of-society strategy to mobilise all of the country’s assets in pursuit of national objectives, leveraging the unique strengths of each sector: Government, Business, and Philanthropy.
Strategic Objectives
CONNECTING
Facilitating engagement and coordination between the private sector and government entities in the UAE, as well as with the private sector internationally.
MOBILISING
Enabling business and philanthropic stakeholders to support the UAE’s diplomatic and strategic objectives.
ADVOCATING
Promoting a shared understanding of the importance of public, private, and philanthropic coordination and collaboration among stakeholders, and highlighting opportunities to put it into practice.
Key Functions
The Special Envoy seeks to carry out his duties based on the following pillars:
Outreach
Raising awareness of the roles played by business and philanthropy in advancing the UAE’s national goals through speaking engagements, media outreach, thought leadership, and participation in targeted international convenings.
Insights
Organising insight sessions to engage UAE-based CEOs on geo-economic factors affecting business and philanthropy in the UAE and relevant global trends, alongside briefings on UAE geo-economic priorities; and hosting sessions for UAE diplomats on current challenges and opportunities faced by businesses domestically and internationally.
Convening
Hosting meetings and roundtables for business, philanthropic, and government stakeholders, and facilitating cross-sector networking and collaboration within the UAE and abroad.
H.E. Badr Jafar
Special Envoy to the Foreign Minister for Business and Philanthropy
H.E. Badr Jafar is a business executive and social entrepreneur from the United Arab Emirates. He is the CEO of Crescent Enterprises, a diversified business operating across nine industry sectors in 17 countries, and the President of Crescent Petroleum, the first independent and privately-owned petroleum company in the Middle East. He serves as Chairman of Gulftainer, the largest privately-owned container port operator in the world, and is also the Chairman of Pearl Petroleum, the largest natural gas producer in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
As COP28 Special Representative for Business and Philanthropy, H.E. Badr Jafar chaired the inaugural COP28 Business and Philanthropy Climate Forum. He is an Advisory Committee member for ENACT (‘Energy Action’), which aims to advance global sustainable prosperity and progress through shaping the future of energy. Badr also serves as a Board Member for the Dubai International Chamber and on the Advisory Committee for the UK UAE Business Council.
H.E. Badr Jafar is actively engaged with a diverse range of non-profit organisations and initiatives focused on humanitarian aid and international development, strategic philanthropy, corporate governance, entrepreneurship, education, and the arts, including serving as a member of the Kings Trust International Committee, United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing, Tony Elumelu Foundation Advisory Board, and the UNESCO International Commission on the Futures of Education.
H.E. Badr Jafar also serves on the Board of Trustees for Zayed University, the International Council of the American University of Beirut, as well as on the Advisory Council of Development and Outreach for the American University of Sharjah.
In 2010, H.E. Badr Jafar founded the Pearl Initiative, a non-profit, private sector-led organisation committed to promoting a corporate culture of transparency and accountability across the Gulf Region, in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships. He is also the Founding Patron of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy based at the University of Cambridge, which is dedicated to enhancing the impact of strategic philanthropy both within and from the world’s fastest growing economies; and is the Founding Patron of MENA’s first Strategic Philanthropy Initiative at NYU Abu Dhabi to study and promote high-impact philanthropy in the region.
H.E. Badr Jafar holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Cambridge and a Business Degree from the Cambridge Judge Business School.
Updates
UAE leaders congratulate President of Tajikistan on Independence Day
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a congratulatory message to President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan on the occasion of his country's Independence Day.
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UAE Expresses Solidarity with Iraq and Conveys Condolences over Victims of Bridge Collapse
The United Arab Emirates has expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with the Republic of Iraq over the victims of the collapse of a bridge under construction in Karbala Governorate, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries.
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Abdullah bin Zayed Condemns in the Strongest Terms the Blatant Israeli Attack on Doha
His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, condemned in the strongest terms the blatant and cowardly Israeli attack that targeted the State of Qatar
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UAE Expresses Solidarity with Qatar and Conveys Condolences over Martyrdom of Internal Security Force Member
The United Arab Emirates has expressed its sincere condolences and solidarity with the State of Qatar over the martyrdom of a member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force following the blatant Israeli attack.
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