Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy () is an Emirati politician who is the Minister of State for International Cooperation in the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Education

Al Hashimy completed her undergraduate degree at

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

, earning a BA in International Relations and French, followed by a Master's degree from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. She also holds a PhD from

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

Career

Al Hashimy began her career as Commercial Attaché, and subsequently Deputy Chief, of the UAE Embassy to the United States of America in Washington D.C. She was appointed Minister of State in the

Cabinet of the United Arab Emirates The Cabinet of the United Arab Emirates, or Council of Ministers (), is the chief executive body of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) federal government. The cabinet consists of federal government ministers, and is led by the prime minister of the ...

in February 2008. She was appointed to her current role as UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation in February 2016. She chairs the National Committee on

Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...

in the UAE. She was formerly chair of the UAE Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority. She is Chairperson of

Dubai Cares Dubai Cares is a UAE-based global philanthropic organization that advocates for children's rights. It was founded on September 19, 2007 by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirat ...

and the

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University () is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to the Middle Ages in 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as a constituent college of the Unive ...

Abu Dhabi. In September 2022, she became the first female Emirati politician to deliver a speech for the UAE at the

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...

. She led the successful bid to host the World expo in Dubai. In June 2014, she was appointed Managing Director of the Dubai Expo 2020 Higher Committee, and Director General of the Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau. In an interview on CNN and in response to the opposition to the

Abraham accords The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the announcement of August ...

She said "in the Arab world and in the Middle East by and large there are certainly "naysayers" but in the UAE we believe very strongly in the need to open conversation and ties (with Israel). She has met the Israeli Foreign minister Yair Lapid on Dubai Expo grounds in 2021, and has previously slammed the 7th of October attack on Israel as “barbaric” and call for the unconditional release of the hostages, She has also met Israeli Ambassador on occasion of end of his tenure in UAE on 9th of October 2024 (two days after the anniversary of 7th of October) and has affirmed the UAE’s unwavering position in rejecting violence and escalation that serve to further increase the risks of instability.

Expo 2020 Dubai

In 2011, Al Hashimy was appointed by Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab ...

to the role of Managing Director of the Higher Committee for Hosting the World

Expo 2020 Expo 2020 () was a World Expo hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Originally scheduled for 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Ara ...

. She led the successful bid to host the World expo in Dubai. In June 2014, she was appointed Managing Director of the Dubai

Higher Committee, and Director General of the Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau. The event, which was delayed by one year due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, eventually welcomed 24.1 million visitors over six months between October 2021 and March 2022. A conversation between Al Hashimy and composer

A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...

in 2019 led to the creation of the all-women

Firdaus Orchestra Firdaus Orchestra is an initiative of Expo City Dubai, an all-women ensemble based out of the United Arab Emirates. The orchestra is named Firdaus (meaning 'paradise' in Arabic). History Firdaus Orchestra was founded by Reem Al Hashimy, the Min ...

. In July 2022, it was announced that she would continue her work as CEO of Expo City Dubai Authority.

Personal life

Reem Al Hashimy comes from a prominent Emirati family with a long history of involvement in public service and government. Her father, Dr. Saeed Al Hashimy, was a former UAE Minister of State.

References

External links