UAE names Crescent’s Jafar as business & philanthropy envoy
The new post is intended to boost the UAE’s diplomatic influence by integrating business and philanthropy with international activities
WEF
Crescent Enterprises CEO Badr Jafar speaks at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
The UAE is tapping an oil company executive to integrate private sector business and philanthropic activities more deeply into its foreign policy.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, announced the appointment of Badr Jafar on Monday to a newly created post as Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy.
Jafar, 45, a Cambridge-educated native of the Sharjah emirate, is CEO of Crescent Enterprises – which has broad interests in energy, ports, logistics and finance – and President of its Crescent Petroleum unit.
“By fostering significant partnerships and unlocking new avenues for investment and innovation, this role [for Jafar] reinforces the UAE’s position as a dynamic hub for economic diplomacy, sustainable finance, and social progress,” the government said in a statement.
Creating the new post is part of an effort to strengthen the UAE’s diplomatic influence by embedding business and philanthropy into its international engagement, the government said.
“By bridging the efforts of government, business and philanthropy, we can accelerate sustainable development and create lasting prosperity for all,” Jafar said.