On Saturday, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai announced several new ministers for the country.
Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi was appointed the Minister of Environment while Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri was named as the Head of the Office of International Affairs in the Presidential Office.
As the Minister of Environment and a member of the Council of Ministers, Dr Amna will have an important mission to fulfil. With a focus on developing the agricultural sector and consolidating food security, she will take over the mantle from Mariam Almheiri, who was instrumental in securing UAE’s COP28 bid.
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Previously, the Assistant Undersecretary for Care and Capacity Building Sector at the Ministry of Education, Dr Amna has led several strategic programs and initiatives in her capacity, focusing on identifying gifted students as well as ensuring student empowerment through capacity building programs.
She was also named the UAE Government Spokesperson in April 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic where she carried out national press briefings and moderated ministerial sessions, in addition to speaking at international conferences.
Holding a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Khalifa University, and Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science from University of Sharjah, Dr Amna is a member of several prominent national and regional committees, such as the Higher National Committee for the People of Determination Services, the National Food Security Council, and the Gulf Council for Giftedness.
During her work with the Ministry of Education, she was awarded the 2020 Best Assistant Under-Secretary Award, one of the Ministry’s Excellence Awards, and the 2019 UAE Pioneers Award for the ‘Voice of Tolerance’ Project for which she was Team Leader.
Mariam Almheiri
At the end of her term as the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Mariam Almheiri will be appointed as the Head of the Office of International Affairs in the Presidential Office. A prolific politician, Almheiri was responsible for monitoring national food stocks, investing in food technology, and following up international relations in this area.
She played a role in setting up the food tech valley, which was projected to triple Dubai’s food production. She also established the Ne’ma Food Loss and Waste Reduction Roadmap – an action plan to reduce food loss and wastage in the country by 50 per cent by 2030.
In December, at the UAE Council for Climate Action meeting, she had said that UAE’s aim was to create a leading global model for sustainability across various national sectors and achieve the goals of the UAE Net Zero 2050. A keen proponent of the net zero plan, she had been instrumental in putting in place several key strategies including a roadmap to create more than 200,000 jobs and increase the country’s GDP by 3 per cent in the quest for zero carbon emissions.
Prior to this, Almheiri was the Minister of State for Food Security- a post she was conferred with in 2017- where her tasks included overseeing the development of the necessary infrastructure that would ensure the country’s food security objectives, in line with UAE Centennial 2071 Plan.