Mohammed bin Zayed Bestows the 2011 Abu Dhabi Award on Ten Remarkable Individuals

Through the commitment of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, to preserve the legacy of our nation's late father, the Government of Abu Dhabi has chosen to celebrate compassionate individuals who have selflessly volunteered their time to build and support the community of Abu Dhabi.

Established under the guidance and auspices of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the Abu Dhabi Awards is a biennial ceremony that honours and recognises individuals who have contributed in building a greater sense of community and social welfare within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Through their selfless action, Abu Dhabi Awards recipients illustrate the legacy of the nation’s father.

All citizens and residents of the Emirate are encouraged to nominate people who have contributed to building and supporting a community, regardless of age, nationality or gender; this includes Abu Dhabi citizens, residents and non-residents whose good deeds have benefited the Emirate, as well as Abu Dhabi citizens performing good deeds internationally. Award recipients are selected based on their deeds and actions, not by how many nominations they received - one nomination is all it takes!

About Our Partners

The 2011 Abu Dhabi Awards graciously thanks its partners for their generous contributions and ongoing support:

• Abu Dhabi Media
• Etisalat
• Takatof Programme

Abu Dhabi Media is a leading media organisation in the Middle East, with businesses in free and pay television, radio, publishing, digital media, games, feature films, music, digital signage, outside broadcast/production, and printing. The company manages over 20 market-leading brands such as the TV channels Abu Dhabi Al Oula, and Abu Dhabi Riyadiya/AD Sports, Emarat FM, and Star FM radio stations, Al Ittihad and The National newspapers, Majid and Zahrat Al Khaleej magazines, the websites, anazahra.com and admcsport.com, and subsidiaries Karkadann Games, Imagenation Abu Dhabi, LIVE, and United Printing Press. Abu Dhabi Media partners with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment on VEVO, the world’s leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform, and with National Geographic on National Geographic Abu Dhabi, the Arabic language television channel, and National Geographic Al Arabiya magazine. Abu Dhabi Media is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, with offices in Beirut, Cairo, Dubai and Jeddah. www.admedia.ae

Etisalat is a leading telecommunications corporation catering to consumers, businesses, international telecommunication companies, ISPs, content providers and mobile operators. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Etisalat is the largest operator in the Middle East and Africa regions with a market value in excess of AED 80 billion (US$20 billion) and annual revenues of approximately AED 30 billion (US$8 billion). Etisalat operates in 18 countries across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, a coverage area which reaches more than two billion people. To date, the group’s global subscriber base exceeds over 140 million subscribers through mobile and fixed line voice and data services.

In December 2010, Etisalat UAE received the CommsMEA awards for ‘Overall Operator of the Year’ and ‘ISP of the Year’. Etisalat Group received awards of ‘Best African Operator’ for Etisalat Misr (Egypt), while Mobily (Etihad Etisalat) won ‘Middle East Operator of the Year’.

Etisalat UAE is pioneering the launch of the first commercial 4G service on its nation-wide LTE network and promises to deliver a compelling mobile broadband experience to customers. Etisalat is an innovative pacesetter which has powered the UAE to be one of the top 10 nations in the world in terms of the availability of new technologies, through its support and strategic vision of a number of government initiatives.

Through the launch of innovative new technologies and its regional growth strategy, Etisalat strives to be amongst the top 10 telecom operators in the world. Through Etisalat’s major investment in Thuraya Telecommunications Company, a leading international mobile satellite service provider, the corporation’s connectivity coverage reaches the majority of the entire planet. The corporation offers a variety of hi-tech complimentary services to the telecommunications industry including managerial and technical training, SIM card manufacturing, payment solutions, clearing house services, peering, voice and data transit, and submarine and land cable services.

About the Takatof Programme: Inspired by H.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, Takatof is a voluntary social programme designed to create a culture of volunteering throughout the UAE. Takatof mobilises people and resources across the nation to find creative and sustainable solutions for proven community needs. Takatof particularly offers young people meaningful opportunities to volunteer for humanitarian, social and community programmes.

The Emirates Foundation established Takatof in Abu Dhabi in April 2007 to raise awareness of community needs, empower UAE individuals and encourage them to participate in specific volunteering opportunities promoting the concept of volunteering as the 'way of life'. The Takatof Programme works to embed volunteering in UAE culture and to promote the concept of volunteering as the 'way of life'.