His Excellency Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, honoured 20 high-profile leaders and entrepreneurs in various sectors at the Asian Business Leadership Forum (ABLF) Awards 2022 at Expo 2020 Dubai on Tuesday (1 March), for helping their organisations and communities recover from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those recognised included His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon, former United Nations Secretary General; His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka; and His Excellency Lt General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai, who received the ABLF Lifetime Achievement Award.
The ABLF Awards is a premier, integrity-led recognition platform founded in 2007 that acknowledges the intellectual capital of inspirational Asian leaders across the globe. It showcases people whose entrepreneurial brilliance is second only to their sense of responsibility and accountability towards the communities, countries and the global markets that they live and work within.
Held under the patronage of HE Sheikh Al Nahayan, the platform is recognised by the UAE Federal Government through a long-term partnership with the UAE Ministry of Economy. This year’s theme was ‘Resilience Rising: The Great Reset’.
HE Sheikh Al Nahayan said: “I am struck by how profoundly this theme captures this point in world history. We are emerging from the challenging experience of COVID-19 with new insights, new constraints, and a renewed determination to create a new normal that will allow us to thrive collectively as human beings. We have become more aware of our common values of tolerance, coexistence, and human fraternity.
“And with this awareness, we are ready to cooperate regionally and globally in the face of all challenges. ABLF and similar organisations, as well as Asian leaders, and particularly this evening’s winners, are actively shaping the future to accomplish these goals.”
Speaking at the awards, Ban Ki-Moon – who received the Social Humanitarian Award – asked wealthy nations to support all people around the world in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “nobody is safe until everybody is safe.
“There is still a great divide, discrepancy, [and] inequalities while we address and fight the coronavirus. Less than 10 per cent of Africa has been vaccinated while in the US and elsewhere, it is almost 100 per cent. South Korea is 90 per cent vaccinated. This virus does not respect boundaries. If people in one area are still suffering from this, we all suffer,” he said.
Twenty high-profile leaders from all over Asia, selected through an integrity-led nomination process headed by the ABLF Executive Council and Grand Jury, were awarded the iconic diamond-studded ABLF Trophy, recognising their courage, spirit and fortitude in redefining the parameters of sustainable progress in the pandemic-ravaged world.
The ABLF Awards was co-hosted at Expo 2020 Dubai by Dubai Cares, the world’s largest NGO for global education. The in-person event took place in the presence of 180 leading dignitaries and global media for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, His Excellency Dr Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice Chairman, Dubai Cares and Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, also attended the event.
