Britain’s Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, made his second officialvisitthis year to Abu Dhabi in late October to attend a reception co-hosted by the British Ambassador, Edward Oakden, and the CEO of International Power, Philip Cox, in association with the Emirates Foundation (see adjacent page). The event was held to mark the launching of the second phase of the Foundation’s Tawteen programme, and the awarding of the important Fujairah F2 power station project to International Power.

In a short speech at the reception, Prince Andrew, who is Britain’s UK’s Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, commented that “the participation of British organisations in the Tawteen programme is an excellent example of sustained partnership between the UK and the UAE, which we see as the way forward for the future, in which both the government and private sector come together for the greater benefit.

“I would like to thank the sponsors and also the Emirates Foundation and wish them all the best for the future. In particular, warm thanks to International Power for supporting this event. They are an excellent example of the way a British company can contribute and build relations,” he said.

In response, the Managing Director of the Emirates Foundation, Ahmed Al Sayegh, noted that he was “pleased to pay tribute to the efforts being made by the leading British organisations and companies which are working with us in developing future Emirati talent. The success of the Tawteen pilot projects is highly important to the UAE.”

“On behalf of the Emirates Foundation, I look forward to continued British involvement. We, in turn, will do our best to translate Emirati governmental and private sector interest into practical long term support for these projects,” Al Sayegh added.

The purpose of the Tawteen initiative is to empower young UAE citizens through the creation of meaningful employment opportunities throughout the Emirates. Five British-based companies and organisations, BP, Shell, Rolls-Royce, International Power and The British Council, are among the ‘champions’ of Tawteen’s eight initial projects, covering career guidance counselling; youth leadership development; industry and academic summer schools; career resource centres; internships in the private sector; empowering women in the workplace; entrepreneurship & innovation and vocational training awareness.

Replying to their remarks, the International Power CEO said that his company “believe strongly in giving back to the community, and every year we sponsor projects throughout the world as part of this commitment. We are very proud to be one of the champions of the Tawteen initiative. International Power is the champion of the Vocational Awareness Project– where we will be producing a DVD and other material to be shown in schools and malls to increase awareness among children of the many opportunities for vocational employment. Our current business – and our future business – would not be possible without harnessing the energy and power of the people in whose countries we invest.”

During his visit, Prince Andrew also met with leading figuresintheUAE’sfinancialservices sector, to promote British expertise in the sector, including Islamic finance,where it has developed an expertise and business dynamism unrivalled elsewhere in the non-Islamic world.

In general terms, Britain is attractive to business as it has become the global platform for international financialservicesand had, as of the end of 2006, the largest share of international bank lending (20%) and total banking assets worth £5.1 trillion.

For its part, the Gulf region, and the UAE in particular, is fast rising as a key 2007player in the world of international financewith extensive liquidity and increasingly sophisticated financialmarkets.

During his visit, Prince Andrew also discussed with the Minister of Economy, H.E. Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, the latest developments of negotiations between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the European Union (EU) on a free trade agreement, agreeing that it was important to resolve outstanding issues as quickly as possible, so that the FTA could be signed.

The Duke’s visit was part of a wider programme of engagement between the two countries on financialservices.Basedon developing relations in fieldsrangingfrom Islamic Finance to financialregulationand Education, Training and Qualifications(ETQ), the aim of this effort is to build a strong partnership with the UAE in financialservicesthatwillprosperevenmore in the future.

A follow-up visit will be made to the Gulf in February-March 2008 by the Lord Mayor of London with a sizeable delegation from the city to further develop the close links between the UK and the new financialcentresoftheregion.

Another feature of the Duke’s visit was a special presentation from H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and of the Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) and TDIC’s chief executive officer,LeeTabler,ontheTDIC’s“DesertIslands” project in Western Abu Dhabi.

The project involves creation of a resort complex on the islands of Sir Bani Yas and Dalma, as well as on six adjacent, smaller islands.

The “Desert Islands” scheme, the Duke told Sheikh Sultan, was “a fascinating project which will be something of a benchmark in the development of eco-resorts.”

“It is truly heartening to see Abu Dhabi take advantage of its cultural and environmental heritage,” he said.

He was also given an update on ADTA plans to transform Saadiyat Island into an international tourism, residential and cultural destination which will be home to the world’s largest single cluster of cultural assets including the planned Sheikh Zayed National Museum, the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi contemporary art museum and the Louvre Abu Dhabi universal museum.

“Prince Andrew has been a consistent supporter of Abu Dhabi’s tourism development and follows its progress with keen interest, and has expressed a hope to visit Saadiyat Island on a return visit to the capital,” Sheikh Sultan told the local media.