Witnessing the showcasing of UK’s soft power

Our Founders were honoured to attend the HM Queen Elizabeth II birthday celebration held at the British Embassy in Dubai.  Hosted by Andrew Jackson, British Consul General to Dubai and the Northern Emirates, with guest of honour present being H.E. Maryam bint Mohammed  Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi, UAE Minister of State for Future Food Security.  

The occasion was an opportunity to highlight the long standing relationship between the UAE and the UK which has a shared agenda in so many areas of political and practical co-operation, borne of many years of collaboration since before the UAE was formed. 

In the address by Andrew Jackson, he praised H.E Maryam bint Mohammed  Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi, UAE Minister of State for Future Food Security, for her leadership in the area of food security which includes a range of UK businesses working within this field.

Andrew Jackson also highlighted the participation of the UK in Expo 2020 Dubai with the UK pavilion, based on the UK’s global theme of “innovating for a shared future’. It aims to showcase an innovative and creative design to promote the UK’s international agenda and British innovation, creativity and leadership, with artificial intelligence and poetry featuring heavily. 

Talking about UK technology, Andrew Jackson said “the potential of UK technology is on display here tonight. we’re showcasing British technology, working together with the UAE and taking our partnership to a new level”.

The tech sector in the UK is an important one and a significant and vital component of the British economy with a combined annual turnover of around £161 billion (GBP) in the UK. 

Events, such as the annual HM Queens Birthday party, are important for embassies and celebrated around the world throughout the UK embassy network.  It is an opportunity for the UK to present to the world, the best of Britain whilst using the nation’s soft power assets.  By using these assets, the UK can focus them to contribute to the achievement of specific objectives, such as encouraging trade. Trade is an important focus between the UK and UAE, which is currently valued at around £17.5 billion (GBP). These events also act as a convenor by bringing together people to foster closer links, working relationships and promote the strength of the long standing relationship between the two countries.

Our Manara Global thanks go to the Andrew Jackson and his wider Embassy team for the invitation and for the organisation that went into the preparation to deliver this successful event.