New York – 6 December 2021 –The United Arab Emirates celebrated its 50th National Day—the nation’s Golden Jubilee—with a reception in the new building housing its Permanent Mission to the United Nations. H.E. Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs, and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, hosted ambassadors and delegates of UN Member States, senior officials from the UN, and friends of the UAE to celebrate the UAE’s founding in 1971.
In her remarks, H.E. Lana Nusseibeh said: “Even as we celebrate the past 50 years, we’re already looking forward to what we want to accomplish in the next 50. We want to be at the forefront of helping the world to solve our greatest collective challenges: Climate change, food insecurity, and future pandemics. We want to take advantage of the great leaps in technology that have been made to empower our youth to literally reach for the stars. And we want to secure what progress we have already made so that a future of diversity and tolerance is available to all.”
Ambassador Nusseibeh also reflected on the UAE’s founding fathers’ vision of prosperity, tolerance, unity, and friendship with all nations. Since its founding, the UAE has become a hub of business and diplomacy, both in the region and globally. Following a successful campaign, the UAE has been elected to the UN Security Council for the 2022-2023 term. Since 1971, the literacy rate for adult women in the country has risen from 31 percent to nearly 95 percent. More than 200 nationalities call the UAE home today.
The event featured a selection of Emirati art from the Barjeel Art Foundation, which was founded by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth. The exhibition was curated by Faris Alshafar, an Emirati artist based in New York City. The paintings—curated in a single exhibit for the National Day reception—will be hung throughout the Mission building for the duration of the UAE’s term on the Security Council.
Participants listened to the UAE’s national anthem and remarks from H.E. Amna Binzaal Almheiri, Consul General of the United Arab Emirates in New York. They also watched a video on the UAE’s Golden Jubilee. UAE Mission staff also attended the celebration, including Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Mohamed Abushahab, Deputy Permanent Representative Amiera Alhefeiti, and the Mission’s military advisor, Colonel Majid Alnakhi.
In her remarks, H.E. Amna Binzaal Almheiri said, “The UAE has achieved so much in just five decades. With more than 200 nationalities and people of countless faiths living and worshipping together side by side, the UAE is one of the most diverse societies in the world – and the values of mutual respect and freedom of worship are deeply ingrained in our country’s DNA as a result. None of these achievements would have been possible without the forward-looking vision of the UAE’s founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He underscored the importance of tolerance and unity, a necessity to provide a better life, ensure stability, and realize the hopes and aspirations of our people.
