U.A.E. Embassy in D.C., HKS launch Emirates Leadership Initiative

Washington, D.C. (WAM): At the launch of the new Emirates Leadership Initiative, ELI, a U.A.E.-funded education programme to train future public leaders, by the U.A.E. Embassy in Washington D.C. and the Harvard Kennedy School, HKS, the U.A.E. Ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, stressed the need to address and eliminate the root causes of violent extremism. In his remarks at the launch ceremony of the initiative at the U.A.E. chancery in D.C., Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba said, "We must also do a better job of providing an alternative to extremism. This means better economic opportunities and most of all education." "This is the real antidote to extremism: education and empowerment," said Ambassador Al Otaiba. Stressing the need to combat Da'esh (ISIL), the U.A.E. Ambassador to the U.S. said, "We must confront the extremists on new fronts. We must take the fight beyond the battlefield with the same tempo, intensity and coordination. We must challenge the entire militant ideological complex and all of its associated support networks. That means stopping extremist funding, disrupting the recruitment of foreign fighters, securing borders, preventing the exploitation of the web and social media, and contesting the use of religious centres to promote hatred and violence." General James Logan Jones, former United States National Security Advisor, David Gergen, Co-director of Centre for Public Leadership and Co-director of Emirates Leadership Initiative, and Ambassador Nicholas Burns, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, HKS faculty chair of the Middle East Initiative, MEI, and co-director of the Emirates Leadership Initiative, engaged in a general discussion of the topic of "leadership in a troubled world." The participants discussed the importance of strong leadership and good governance in the tumultuous political and security environment of the Middle East. Agreeing on the points made by Ambassador Al Otaiba, the participants said the current security situation in the region corroborate the importance of training future leaders, through programmes such as those included in Emirates Leadership Initiative, on ways of confronting the emerging challenges. The five-year Emirates Leadership Initiative is funded by a gift of US$15 million from the government of U.A.E. and will deepen HKS s engagement with the peoples and countries of the Middle East through a wide array of new leadership, research, executive education and fellowship programmes. The initiative will also support Harvard faculty research on the Middle East and student research and internships in the region. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395270718044.html