HH Sheikh Mohammed presents the first-ever Young Arab Leaders Awards

HM Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan received The Young Arab Leader Award for ongoing support of Non-Government Organizations and Social Entrepreneurship in the Arab World.

Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain won the Young Arab Leader Award for the public sector while Sheikh Abdulla bin Mosaed Al Saud was named the Young Arab Leader for his contributions to the manufacturing sector.

A special award was given posthumously to the late former Trade Minister of Lebanon, Basel Fleihan.

The other winners included Sameer Al Ansari, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai International Capital for leadership in the financial sector.

Ahmed Al Sayegh, Chief Executive Officer of Dolphin Energy won the Young Arab Leader Award for the energy sector.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, Chairman of the Young Arab Leaders, congratulated the winners saying: "The award celebrates leadership and excellence in the Arab world. The winners are all role models for young people in the region. Their successes are inspiring greater aspiration and achievement among a new generation of Arab leaders."

Gergawi also thanked His Highness Sheikh Mohammed saying: "His Highness' support and patronage for the Young Arab Leaders movement has given us the energy and direction to build a group of young Arab entrepreneurs, innovators and trend-setters who collectively will motivate young Arab people to strive for greater distinction in many walks of life."

The award ceremony brought to a close the two-day Young Arab Leaders (YAL) Forum. The event brought together a diverse and select group of current and former public figures, business leaders, senior representatives of multinational corporations and key NGO representatives to participate in a series of panel discussions and dynamic interactive workshops.

The goal of the forum was to develop an action plan that all the participants can help implement during the coming year. By identifying specific ways to address the challenges of our region and asking each participant to make a specific commitment to take action in one of the areas discussed, this event proved to be an unprecedented and effective forum for leaders and their communities around the region.

The forum was attended by Young Arab Leaders members and other senior policy and decision-makers from Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, as well as from Europe and the US.