THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES : THE THREE PILLARS OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Global governance” is a new concept combining the integration of each country on the world and the transparent and efficient management of their politics, economy and culture.
A new concept indeed, but it is a concept that, since their creation in 1971, the United Arab Emirates did not wait to tie to their ships, flying regional or international flags, in order to establish their
country in the world and participate, by all means, to the peace and harmony that are necessary to the human development of talent and synergies.
Ever since 1971, Sheikh Zayed, the late Founder of the United Arab Emirates Federation, had laid the political, economic and cultural groundwork that would later define his country’s image and role in the Gulf region and in the world.

The UAE developed their political relations based on three
controlled axes.
The first one is the Gulf region, meaning the geographic area that is the anchor of the country; then, the pan-Arab axis concerns the Arab countries that are located further away, most of them located at the West of the Emirates; finally, the international axis that shines from the East to the West and the North to the South, due to the centrally strategic position of this dynamic and enterprising country.
In this Gulf region, in 1981, the UAE were the first founding
members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is today working for a peaceful solution of the Yemenite problem. The GCC is composed of six countries (Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and UAE) and it is a kind of customs and monetary Common Market that also includes Defense agreements. The
institution has already signed agreements with the European Union, which has been a model for them in several respects. However, the issue is highly political: because of its strategic
geographic location, the Gulf Cooperation Council is a
counterweight for stability and dialogue fighting the volatility that sometimes takes over this region and encapsulates it in a rugged game of interests.
The pan-Arab dimension of the UAE politics is much more difficult to assume, because, by definition, it involves relations with all the Arab countries, without exception, and those are not always on the same wavelength when it comes to interests and political polarization. Moreover, the major partners of these 22 countries of the Arab League, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq and Iran, do not share the same vision on the solutions to the problem of Palestine, for example, or the ones in Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan…

However, in all cases, the UAE stay true to their peaceful and moderate purpose. For example, they would like it that all the countries in the region give up their weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and sign a nuclear non-proliferation treaty, including Israel, thus hoping that every country, even Iran, would allow access to the IAEA to inspect their nuclear facilities.
In the same vein, we must realize that all the countries of the Gulf, taken as a whole, are extremely fragile and feel the threat of their neighbor, Iran, especially since it was not content with having materials to build nuclear weapons and removing its program and facilities from any foreign control, Iran often interferes in the domestic policies of its neighbors, trying to destabilize them by supporting their enemies and infiltrating their territories. Bahrain is a clear example of this. Authorities have often accused Teheran of interfering with their domestic affairs. The same situation happens in Kuwait (Iranian diplomats were deported, being accused of espionage).
Regarding the United Arab Emirates in particular, their dispute with Iran gets heavier when taking into account the occupation since November 29th 1971 – three days before the proclamation of the United Arab Emirates on December 2nd – of the three UAE islands of Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tumb. For many years, the UAE have sought a peaceful solution to this problem. They have first proposed a direct dialogue, then the arbitration of the International Court of Hague, but they have met a blunt receive. Nevertheless, they continue their quest to peacefully solve the situation, especially since their strategy has always been to count on good-neighborly relations, without trying to shadow the issues they have to deal with. This is also the strategy that is the cornerstone of the UAE policy regarding the Lebanon
situation – a country that they have helped a lot – and that of Palestine.

The UAE’s participation to the major international bodies such as the UN, UNESCO, OECD, modulates and shapes their relationship with other countries: with France first, its privileged partner, but also with the United States, India, China, Pakistan, Russia. Within the UN, the country takes part in the fight against international
terrorism and the peaceful resolution – and if necessary military resolution – of the crises that wreak havoc around the world. One only has to reflect upon the current Libyan crisis that is currently heating up the entire Mediterranean region and splits up international bodies.
The UAE’s stability and dynamism, which might seem oxymoronic, but in fact are just each other’s reward, make this country a model of the region. And its warm relationship with France on all levels of cooperation – fact explaining the numerous visits of the presidents and ministers, especially those of justice and defense – make it
a sought after partner and representative of the Arab world in
the Western countries. This is to prove that it is not the size of a
country that makes its influence in the world. In an interview with Message des Emirats in June 2005, Hervé de Charrette analyzed it like this: “The UAE’s influence essentially comes from the values they preach, the energy they operate, the talent of the people who live there and their leaders’ capabilities”. This capability was seen since 1971 when the Emirates were created: a country needs a vision, an ambitious vision, and a recognized existence. This vision and this existence cannot be achieved in a world like the one we have today without adhering to the major values of the UN and its many Agencies.
The Emirates have signed the major international conventions on Human Rights (abolition of slavery and torture, etc.) and became permanent members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that has a mission of proposing a peaceful settlement of international conflicts. The UAE are also members of the Red Crescent, the Oriental equivalent of the Red Cross, and the UN declared that its UAE agency was “its best ally in the region”. It distinguishes oneself through the vaccination campaigns ($5 million budget), the means of support and education for orphans in Syria and Gaza and relief programs for China, when the major earthquake in Sichuan took place. Through its $50 million contribution, it is
one of the ten major countries of the ICRC regarding the sums dedicated to emergency relief programs.

The UAE’s quiet generosity is also to be seen in economic matters, coupled with official actions within regional structures such as the OPEC, or international ones like the OECD, the WTO, and its
participation to the major summits on liberalism and globalization, such as the G8, the G20, etc.
Generosity comes first: through loans and donations, for several years, the UAE has helped countries in need, especially those in Africa like Somalia and Sudan, which have often benefited from their help. Some of the resources created by hydrocarbons and the major industrial complexes such as the DWP are dedicated to helping the countries that are going through difficult times.
In 1967, the UAE adhered to the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries), which is made up of six members and
organizes export quotas. Then, in 1968, it became member of the
11 country pan-Arab version of the OPEP, OAPEC (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries), with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Libya, later joined by Algeria, Egypt, Qatar, Syria, Bahrain, Iraq and Tunisia. The OPAEC coordinates the member states’ oil policies in order to achieve global consistency.

Internationally speaking, in addition to participating to all the major Organizations, the UAE implemented a diversification policy of their economy, having long ago included the “post-oil” notion, coupled with a diversification of their partnerships. As well as in the diplomatic field, France is a leading exporter to the UAE even if it has recently lost the new-generation nuclear plant market of the EPR, which was offset by the purchase of 45 Airbus A 380 planes, among which 2 freighters for Emirates Airlines and 28 for Etihad Airlines, making the UAE the main client of A 380 and of all Airbus products. Additionally, also
part of commercial trade between the two countries are the
following sectors: healthcare, food, chemistry, IT, luxury
products, information and communication, retail, tourism,
services and environment.
Follow next Russia and India (only a four hour flight away), then the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, Singapore and Switzerland. Concerning re-exports, especially in the textile sector coming from Asia through the port of Dubai, the UAE export them to Iran, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
The creation of free zones in Sharjah, Ras al Khaima, Ajman, Fujairah, besides the ones of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports, provides UAE economic partners exceptional import, treatment and export conditions.
Moreover, major building sites bring in experts from around the world, especially in the sustainable development field. The city of MASDAR, with its “zero carbon, zero waste” motto, challenges the entire world. Researches, climatologists, geologists, chemists, agronomists from all around the world, led by the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), SET up camp around this future city that will be based on geothermal and solar energy, wind power, desalination of seawater, biofuel for cooling or heating, fueling or cleaning this experimental city that is destined for 45 000 people and is currently being built. This type of building project will become a model for the Gulf region, but also for all emerging countries that will decide to rely on low cost new energies, and this initiative to reduce emissions through the recuperation of wastewater and CO2 recycling is in complete accordance with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol.

To reward these incredible efforts, the international community unanimously decided to SET up the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The UAE capital is also the home to the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) headquarters, created in 1976, and which includes all of the Arab League countries. It performs the same way as the IMF, working for the promotion of commerce in Arab countries, granting loans with variable rates and for variable durations, according to the economic imbalances of the recipient
countries.
The UAE are the second largest exporter to Arab countries (13.3% of their exports) and play an essential role in the creation
of a major Arab free-trade zone (300 million people). In this
respect, they’ve started negotiations with India, Pakistan, China and the EU in order to SET up even larger free-trade zones.
To continue on the international arena, the UAE are mart of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 1996. They are open to a liberal approach to multilateral commercial negotiations, while respecting the emerging countries’ interests, and they have started a process of compliance of their legislation to the WTO rules. In 1975, they’ve signed their adhesion to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which concerns the enforcement of industrial patents defined by the Paris Convention and the 2004 Rome and Berne Convention on copyright.
The UAE are also concerned by food security. To share other countries’ experience, warnings, alerts and know-how, the UAE adhered to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and to the Codex Alimentarius. This covers public health,
inspection of food imports and their outlets, imports of live
animals, labeling and expiration dates, even if sometimes they have to slightly enlarge the scope of their investigation from the norm due to climate and religious standards.
The UAE Federation is also ranked by the UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) as the second most qualified Arab country to attract foreign capital and it is 17th on a 100 country list.
But all these figures, all these achievements and their belonging to international organizations wouldn’t mean anything if they wouldn’t serve a greater purpose: the UAE citizen, open to the world, able to take advantage of these times, to solve conflicts and to use efficient communication technologies.

With this idea in mind, ever since the UAE’s creation, Sheikh Zayed has focused on education and culture. As part of this article dedicated to the UAE’s involvement in world governance,
it is not the education system per se that we are going
to analyze, by the way that the Federation prepared, starting
with an almost tabula rasa, to raise the knowledge and the
culture of the country to the highest levels by twinning with
institutions, universities and museums, in order to share their know-how and expertise.
This statement leads us to deal with culture from three points of view: first, within the UNESCO, then, within the twinning
between universities and prestigious museums.
The UAE delegation to the UNESCO, headed by his Excellency Abdulla Al-Nueaimi, expert in education sciences, has not
waited a long time to prove its value, we might say imitating the style of the Cid! It actively takes part in every one of the six commissions that compose the international Agency: information, sustainable development, education, environment, culture and heritage. In this field, the UAE are considered pioneers of the intangible heritage of humanity. Even before the French
cuisine was added to the list, the UAE art of falconry inaugurated to listing of the rankings of this category. These birds are part of the life and wealth of the UAE and it is not surprising that the country is member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and that some areas are already protected by this Agency. With Great Britain, the Emirates
initiated and signed the International Protocol for the protection of African, European and Asian birds of prey.
Some other sites, this time of the more material kind, are already classified by UAE heritage agencies, waiting to be part of the big league. Sea beds and fauna and flora reserves
stretching out on several thousands of hectares are protected by each concerned Emirate. For example, in Abu Dhabi, the Environment Agency (EAD) classified the Island of Sanaliyah as UAE heritage, as there are mangroves, mudflats and channels to be discovered there; the marine sanctuary of Alyssat has been classified as well due to its corals, fish and rare turtles; the Sir Baniyas park is an offshore haven for migratory birds and the Al-Wathaba sanctuary welcomes every season over 220 species.
Still concerning nature, the Hajar Mountains is classified due to its endangered wildlife; the Dubai Conservation Reserve (DPCR) protects the 650.000 km2 of dunes in the Rub al Khali desert (Empty Quarter).
Historic building such as the wind towers and forts in Fujarah, the old souks, the Art District and the Heritage Quarter in Sharjah, some neighborhoods in Dubai like Al Shindaha, the White Fort and the Al Jahili Fort in Al Ain (restored by UNESCO international standards by using period materials), are also protected and often, when it comes to the buildings, they have been transformed into museums of regional heritage open to the public.
Add to that the important archeological discoveries of recent years, when international teams unearthed burial sites and building remains dating back to the Neolithic era.
Needless to say that the UAE are refining their projects to obtain the much coveted “Heritage of humanity” label awarded by the UNESCO.
This proclaimed desire to protect the wonders of their heritage is coupled with the implementation of a twinning policy with the leading museums and universities of the world, allowing thus the training of UAE intellectual elites, but also to attract the most intelligent people to work on the “post-oil” period, as we have seen in the case of the pilot city of MASDAR

This policy of international openness rests primarily, and it is obvious to do for any country wishing to gain power on the international scene, on the compulsory training of the youth in foreign languages, first and foremost in English and French, and their study on-site if necessary. This is a decision in accordance with the United Nations Programme for Development (UNDP), whose new concept – a society of knowledge, divided into a society of know-how and a society of information – can only become reality by cooperating with qualified partners.
Among the prestigious universities that are located in the UAE, we can mention Saint Joseph University in Lebanon, which created three sections: a translation and interpreting school, whose value is recognized worldwide, an actuarial school and a teaching school; the Sorbonne offers Bachelor and Master degrees in art and archeology, history and geography, literature, philosophy, law and music, coupled with conferences of the Collège de France; American universities in Sharjah and Dubai; the Australian university of Wollongong, the University of Edinburgh in Dubai, dedicated to research; the already mentioned MIT for tech studies applied to sustainable development. Students are also sent to study at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris to be trained as curators, experts, designers, restorers, in a nutshell, all the careers turning around exhibiting pieces to the public.

All this creates a perfect connection toward the Island of Saadiyat, a center for museums, as eight museums are about to be finished there: the Abu Dhabi Louvre, under the leadership of Jean Nouvel; the Guggenheim, under the direction of Frank Ghery; the maritime museum, part of which will be under water, led by Tadao Ando; the Center for Performing Arts (including an opera house, a concert hall, a ballet school) directed by the British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. Korean, Chinese, Russian and UAE architects will be in charge of 19 other pavilions of this unique complex that will only be able to compete with the Insel Museum in Berlin.
International agreements have already been signed to SET Abu Dhabi on the path of traveling exhibits and for loans of artwork from the Hermitage, the Pushkin and the Tretiakov in Russia, the Louvre of course, but also Versailles and Fontainebleau, the Picasso museum, the Rodin, the Guimet, in France; as for experts recruitment, agreements are signed with Italy, Germany and France.
In this artistic cooperation treaty with France it is included to train museum personnel, as the Rockefeller did for Versailles during the World Wars and the UAE are offering France a financial contribution for the restoration of national heritage sites. For example, the Fontainebleau castle will be financed with
€ 40 million for the restoration of the Napoleon III theatre, and in a second part, the French gardens that are currently barely surviving are going to be upgraded. To show their attachment to France and to Heritage, the restoration of the first floor of the Pavilion de Flore of the Louvre will be funded.
More than a national program, this is an international project that the UAE decided to lead by focusing both on the harmonizing of the world through a cultural bridge policy, and on their image as a model able to cooperate with any culture, especially in the Western world, staying Oriental at the same time, far away from prejudice, sectarian behavior and all clichés. They aim to reach within the best and noblest qualities of Man, as the Renaissance had defined.

Politics, economy and culture, all derive from the UAE vision of the future: no country should live outside the world. Taking part in peace culture and tolerance through education and art is part of the UAE ambitions and those of the UNESCO. And if the UAE take their deserved position within global governance, it will mean that they knew, ever since their creation, to be recognized by the
leading UN agencies that work together for the advent of a society based on justice, tolerance and creativity.

Fouad Bou mansour
Political scientist specializing in the Gulf region