Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
2nd President of the United Arab Emirates
Incumbent
Assumed office  3 November 2004
Prime Minister	Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2004-06) Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2006-)
Vice President	Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2004-06) Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (2006-)
Preceded by	Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
2nd Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
In office 1973–1977
President	Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Prime Minister	Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Preceded by	Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Succeeded by	Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi
In office 1969 – 3 November 2004
Monarch	Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Succeeded by	Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi
In office 1966–1967
Monarch	Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Preceded by	Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Succeeded by	Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan
Born	01/25/1948 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Trucial States[1]
Spouse(s)	Shamsa bint Suhail Al Mazrouei Daughter of Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (Arabic: خليفة بن زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان‎), (born 25 january 1948), referred to Sheikh Khalifa is the current President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and emir of Abu Dhabi. He succeeded to both posts on 3 November 2004, replacing his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who had died the day before. He had effectively been acting president earlier, since his father was in ill health.

He is the current chairman of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD).

Biography

1966-1971

The eldest son of Sheikh Zayed, Khalifa was appointed as Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region of Abu Dhabi (the mayor) and as Head of the Courts Department in Al Ain in 1966, as his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became the new ruler of Abu Dhabi. Zayed was the Ruler's Representative in the Eastern Region. Few months later the position was handed to Tahnoun bin Mohammed Al Nahyan^[2]

On 1 February 1969, Sheikh Khalifa was nominated as the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and on the next day he was appointed as the Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Defence, in which post he oversaw the building up of the Abu Dhabi Defence Force, ADDF, which later became the nucleus of the UAE Armed Forces.

Independent in 1971

Following the establishment of the UAE in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa became the Prime Minister of Abu Dhabi (and head of Abu Dhabi Cabinet, under his father), Minister of Defense and Finance. Following the reconstruction of the Federation Cabinet including the abolishing of Abu Dhabi Cabinet and setting up of Executive Council of Abu Dhabi, he became the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates on 23 December 1973 and Chairman of Executive Council of Abu Dhabi on 20 January 1974, under his father.

In May 1976 he became deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, under the President.

He also heads the Supreme Petroleum Council in the late 1980s (until today), which enjoys wide powers in energy matters.

He was the Chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA.

President (2004–)

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan with then President of Russia Vladimir Putin on 10 September 2007.

He succeeded to both posts on 3 November 2004, replacing his father Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who had died the day before. He had effectively been acting president earlier, since his father was in ill health.

On 1 December 2005, the President announced that half of the members of the Federal National Council, the closest body the country has to a parliament, will be indirectly elected. However, half of the council's members will still need to be appointed by the leaders of the emirates. The 40-member FNC serves in an advisory capacity. The elections were set to take place in December 2006.

On 4 January 2010, the world's tallest man-made structure, originally known as Burj Dubai, was renamed to Burj Khalifa, in honor of the Sheikh[1].

Sheikh Khalifa is known for his interest in sports traditional to UAE, chiefly horse and camel racing. He is generally regarded as a pro-Western modernizer. Early in his term, in April 2005, he authorized a 100% salary increase for employees of the state.

Seychelles

Khalifa is building a six-story palace on the Indian ocean island of Seychelles, on the site of a former United States satellite tracking station, the 27 hectares of land were bought by Khalifa for one Seychelles rupee, the equivalent of six British pence. ^[3] Sewage from the huts and shipping containers which house the hundreds of South Asian workers building the palace has polluted one of Seychelle's main rivers, and has destroyed the water supply of several villages. In November 2009, the official passport stamp of the Seychelles, a coco de mer was replaced by a square, apparently at the behest of Sheikh Khalifa, who objected to the nuts resemblance to a bottom. ^[4]

Philanthropy

According to Forbes, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the world's third wealthiest royal, with an estimated wealth of US$19 billion.^[5]

On 30 April 2007, Johns Hopkins Medicine announced a "magnificent" and "transformational" gift by Sheikh Khalifa^[6], most of which, made in honor of Sheikh Khalifa’s father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was planned to support construction of the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s new cardiovascular and critical care tower (also to be named after Sheikh Zayed). Additionally, some funds would be directed to cardiovascular as well as AIDS research.

He also announced the funding of Sheikh Khalifa City in the Gaza Strip.

A building in the theology department at the University of Wales is named after him, due to his being a benefactor.

See also

• Al Nahyan family
• List of national leaders
• List of rulers of separate Emirates of the United Arab Emirates
• List of the wealthiest royals

Emiri Family of Abu Dhabi

HH Sheikha Hassa222 HH The Emir HH Sheikha Shamsa HH Sheikh Sultan HH Sheikh Mohammed HH Sheikha Al Mazroui HH Sheikh Sultan HH Sheikha Shamsa HH Sheikha Fatima HH The Crown Prince HH Sheikh Hamdan HH Sheikh Hazza HH Sheikh Tahnoun HH Sheikh Mansour HH Sheikh Abdullah HH Sheikha Alyazia HH Sheikha Shamma HH Sheikha Mouza HH Sheikh Saif HH Sheikh Hamed HH Sheikh Omar HH Sheikh Khalid HH Sheikha Shamsa HH Sheikha Afra HH Sheikha Ayesha HH Sheikh Saeed HH Sheikh Falah HH Sheikh Nahyan HH Sheikh Diab HH Sheikha Latifa HH Sheikha Mouza HH Sheikha Wadeema HH Sheikha Sheikha HH Sheikha Maitha HH Sheikha Al Darmaki HH Sheikh Issa HH Sheikh Nasser HH Sheikha Rawdha

References

External links

• official biography
• Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Biography of U.A.E. President

Presidents of the United Arab Emirates Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan • Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan