Sultan Al Jaber dedicates MEI’s Leadership Award to UAE President, frontline workers

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, and Executive Chairman of XRG, has received the 2026 Distinguished Global Leadership Award from the Washington DC-based Middle East Institute (MEI) and dedicated the recognition to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the country’s frontline workers. 

Presented at MEI’s 80th Anniversary Gala in Washington on Wednesday, the award recognises Dr. Al Jaber’s longstanding contribution to advancing practical solutions across energy, industry, technology and economic growth, as well as his commitment to international cooperation and long-term development. This includes a pragmatic approach to meeting energy demand driven by the rise of emerging markets and artificial intelligence. 

Accepting the award, Dr. Al Jaber praised President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for his leadership, foresight and guidance throughout his career. 

“Everything I know about leadership, I learned from one person. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. His vision has shaped every chapter of my journey. And I mean every chapter," he said. "His Highness doesn't talk about leadership. He embodies it." 

“Performing under pressure. Delivering stability when it matters most. Protecting all people from harm — citizens, residents and visitors alike. And ensuring the nation keeps moving forward, no matter what,” Dr. Al Jaber said. 

He highlighted how Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed embodies leadership in action and how his consistency of character defines the UAE. 

He added, “Your Highness, over the past weeks, in conversations with UAE visitors and residents, and with leaders, investors, and partners from around the world — including here in Washington — one message has been consistent. The world now knows exactly what the UAE exemplifies: wisdom, integrity, dignity, resilience and compassion.

“This is your vision brought to life. This is your leadership in action. This is what the world witnessed — when it mattered most. And this is the consistency of character that defines the UAE.” 

Dr. Al Jaber explained that this leadership by His Highness has moved through an entire nation as he paid tribute to the frontline workers safeguarding the nation and ensuring continuity following the illegal, unprovoked and unjustified terrorist attack on the UAE. 

“We see it in our armed forces and civil defence, who are keeping the country protected and safe under sustained attack. In nurses who stay at their posts while missiles and drones fly overhead. In engineers who keep the lights on when it would have been easy to stop. No one ordered them to be brave. They simply were," he stated. 

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber added, “The last few weeks have reminded us of a fundamental truth: Energy security is not a slogan. It is the difference between lights on and lights off.” He emphasised that when the Strait of Hormuz is open, the world barely thinks about it, but when it is threatened, every economy feels the impact. 

He continued, “Weaponising the Strait of Hormuz is not an act of aggression against one nation. It is economic terrorism against every nation, every consumer, every family that depends on affordable energy and food. When Iran holds Hormuz hostage, every nation pays the ransom, at the gas pump, at the grocery store and at the pharmacy. 

“No country can be allowed to destabilise the global economy in this way. Not now. Not ever. And I genuinely struggle to understand why the world tolerates what can only be defined as extortion on a global scale.” 

He stressed the strength of the UAE-US relationship, describing it as a partnership “tested in peacetime and proven under fire,” built not on convenience but a shared conviction across energy, trade, investment, technology and security cooperation. He added that partnerships like the UAE-US ties matter now more than ever as the Middle East region stands at a crossroads. 

“Two futures are competing for the Middle East. One exports instability. The other builds industry. One invests in proxies. The other invests in progress. One seeks to build bombs, the other seeks to build bridges. The UAE made its choice a long time ago. We chose openness over isolation, dialogue over discord, commerce over conflict," he said. 

Throughout his career, Dr. Al Jaber has been committed to advancing closer ties between the UAE and the US through deeper cooperation on energy, investment and shared strategic interests. He has consistently emphasised the importance of pragmatic partnership in supporting regional stability, strengthening US-UAE ties and safeguarding the flow of energy. 

The MEI announced Dr. Sultan as its 2026 Distinguished Global Leadership Award recipient in July 2025. 

Founded in 1946, the MEI has contributed significantly to enhanced dialogue, engagement and exchange between the US and the Middle East. That role is especially important at a time when sustained engagement and practical cooperation are essential to regional stability.