Strong hails UAE-US ties at National Day celebrations

The USA Mission in the UAE, consisting of the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the US Consulate General in Dubai, has re-emphasised its stand in pursuing its strategic priorities within the seven emirates and throughout the region as well.

USA Ambassador to the UAE Martina Strong also stated on Tuesday evening that for all the “shared endeavours” of both countries, “I look forward to working with you in the months ahead and the years ahead.”

Strong delivered the message at the Diplomatic Reception for the early celebration of the 249th founding anniversary of the USA, organised by the US Consulate General in Dubai and spearheaded by Consul General Robert Raines.

The chief guest was UAE Minister of Artificial Intelligence/Digital Economy/Remote Work Applications Omar Sultan Al Olama.

The theme of the Diplomatic Reception, whereby among guests were three of five UAE resident- winners of two international competitions – Taste of World Food Championships 2024 (Indianapolis, Indiana) and the NASA Space Apps International Challenge 2024 – Chef Hassan Naja, and Samira Rafiq Khan and Umamah Ali, respectively, was “United in Building Tomorrow.”

The 17th top diplomat of the USA to the UAE stressed that their National Day commemoration was not only about the salutation to all the “proud moments” of their country and its citizens. It is, as well, those that have been gained with the leaders and peoples of the UAE. Strong said: “Here in the United Arab Emirates, those achievements have always been together with our Emirati partners and our many Emirati friends. These feature the enduring partnership that the US and the UAE share. It is the friendships, the bonds of cooperation we have developed over the past six decades; also our shared interests. We are both entrepreneurial nations. We are very much a pioneering peoples always looking ahead and looking for opportunities and this is where all our efforts come in.”

Saying that among the “strategic priorities” of the two nations are about securing their territories and their prosperity, Medicine and Health, Sports, and Education, Strong expressed her gratitude to Al Olama, she described as really been a “tremendous partner who challenged us and pushed us as partners to really advance towards the next horizon and the next frontier.”

Milestones since the March 2, 1972 establishment of the diplomatic and bilateral relations, between the USA and the UAE, were flashed across the wide screen throughout the remaining hours of the reception.

Three are the high aspirations for space exploration and research; development of future leaders through education; and, “the UAE’s designation as a major defense partner that reflects our shared security.”

An illustration of the development of future critical thinking global leaders, relative to the progression of science and technology, specifically in Artificial Intelligence, was the NASA “Most Inspirational” category win of the “Innovisionaries” by Rafiq Khan, Ali and their two other University of West London (Ras Al Khaimah) Bachelor of Honours in Computer Science classmates, Shafeeqa Fathima Jahangir and Rikzah Noorul Hudda Khattal. It was Jahangir who read about the competition announcement in October 2024 over LinkedIn. Thereafter, all the four graduating students developed a three-tier “Build A City” game, based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal Number 11 (UNSDG 11).

They ingeniously utilised and implanted the “relevant Earth Observational Tool Kit of the NASA that contains all the publicly accessible real and numerical data sets.” UNSDG 11 encourages everyone to work for the actualisation of “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities” as global populations continually increase.

Thus, the phenomena of harsh living conditions and environmental degradation that impact over-all health and public health.

The four hope to entice “younger minds” to engage in an educational hobby whereby they gain correct information that aid them in the critical thinking concerning urban planning, disaster management, and aquatic culture; “the fun way” is to help solve all the challenges surrounding global urbanisation.