PARIS, (Pakistan Point News - 05th Jun, 2020) Ali Abdullah Al-Ahmed, the UAE Ambassador to France, has presented today in Paris his credentials as the UAE’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO to Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UN body.
Al-Ahmed and Azoulay discussed bilateral relations in the light of the joint projects carried out between the two sides.
Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, UAE’s Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development and Chair of the National Commission for Education, Culture and Science said Al-Ahmed's appointment would contribute to enhancing ties with the UNESCO and member states, as well as bolster the UAE's cultural presence amongst the international organisations.
"The UAE's appointment to the UNESCO's Executive board last November has reflected an acknowledgement for the country's efforts and initiatives in the fields of culture, science and education," Al Kaabi said.
"It also mirrored the UAE’s significant role through supporting and financing programmes provided for many cultural, heritage and creative projects."
Al-Ahmed said, "We have strategic partnerships with the UNESCO in many areas and the latest is an agreement to reconstruct the Our Lady of the Hour Church, the Al Tahira Church, the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and its Humpback Lighthouse (al-Hadba), and the UNESCO-Hamdan bin Rashid Al-Maktoum prize for Outstanding Practice and Performance in Enhancing the Effectiveness of Teachers."
The UAE is ranked sixth on the list of the largest donor countries of the UNESCO.
One of the country's most prominent educational projects is the establishment of the "Hamdan Fund to Support the UNESCO 2013" to champion the educational initiatives and programmes, with a value of about US$2.2 million, and has benefited, to date, more than 70 countries around the world.
In addition to working as UAE’s Ambassador to France and Germany, Al-Ahmed had also worked as the Director of European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, where he was responsible for bilateral relations between the UAE and European countries through coordination between the country's embassies in Europe and the Ministry.
Before joining diplomatic work, Al-Ahmed held various leading posts in the media and telecommunication sectors in the UAE.
Between 2008 and 2012, Al-Ahmed was Etisalat UAE's Chief Corporate Communications Officer. He played a key role in the development of the company’s strategy to enter the telecom sector in African and Asian markets.
He also worked from 2002 to 2008 as Director of Abu Dhabi tv.
Al-Ahmed holds a bachelor’s degree in business Administration from the Eastern Washington University in the US, and a master’s degree in Strategic and Security Studies from the National Defense College in the UAE.
