Toward the Next 50 Years of Friendship
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates, and the 13th anniversary of Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba’s leadership role in building the US-UAE relationship, MEI is pleased to launch the Al Otaiba Fund for US-UAE Understanding.
The Fund will support a sustained initiative to build understanding and cooperation between the US and the UAE across multiple sectors, boost people-to-people engagements, and build lifelong ties between young leaders from both countries who will shape the future of the relationship.
US-UAE Policy Cooperation
A sustained program, housed at MEI’s Policy Center, the fund will focus on promoting communication and understanding between Emiratis and Americans across current and emerging policy arenas of critical interest to both countries. The program will develop, in consultation with an Advisory Council of US and Emirati figures, joint policy projects, working groups, visits, and briefings, along with recommendations for both US and Emirati policy-makers, as well as the private sector, civil society, and other actors.
The policy component of this initiative will place a specific emphasis on engaging the next generation of innovators in various sectors through a dedicated emerging leaders project, the US-UAE Leadership Forum.
US-UAE Leadership Forum
It is critically important for the future of the US-UAE relationship to build relationships today between the leaders of tomorrow. The US-UAE Leadership Forum will forge meaningful and enduring connections among young professionals from both countries. The Forum will engage rising leaders from both countries working in the worlds of policy, business, and the arts through two dynamic new fellowship programs.
Policy Fellowship
MEI will recruit an annual cohort of 20 emerging leaders from both countries working on today’s pressing policy issues for a year-long fellowship. Fellows will have begun careers in academia, business, government, media, and civil society, and will travel together for week-long study tours in the US and the UAE, where they will meet with business leaders, policymakers, and peer groups. A central component will be an emphasis on professional collaboration, with fellows working together to execute policy events, policy papers, and other substantive outputs. The program will culminate with a high-profile, two-day Leaders of Tomorrow Summit at MEI’s headquarters in Washington, DC, where participants will lead events and share their work with the policy community and key decision-makers.
Cultural Fellowship
A parallel fellowship will engage rising leaders from both countries working in arts and culture. MEI will recruit young artists from both countries who work in a variety of artistic mediums, including visual art, music, and literature. The fellows will participate in programming in both the US and UAE, where they will meet with cultural figures, peers, and other relevant stakeholders. Throughout the program, the fellows will be encouraged to collaborate on cultural projects, with an emphasis on those that engage the broader public of both countries. The program will culminate with the opening of an exhibit at MEI’s art gallery or a program onsite that will feature the work of the fellows, and which will coincide with the Policy Fellowship end-of-year summit.
Long-term Impact
Through this project, MEI seeks to honor the legacy of Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, and to help strengthen and preserve the strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and the United States for future generations.
For more information, visit the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC.
His Excellency Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba
Minister of State and Ambassador of the UAE to the US
At the UAE Embassy in the US, Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba has led efforts to strengthen the historic relationship between the two countries. His leadership has been critical to several shared milestones including the US-UAE 123 Agreement and the Abraham Accords normalization deal between the UAE and Israel.