UAE's Badr Jafar Receives Prestigious Changemakers Award at UN General Assembly

Badr Jafar, the UAE's Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy, has been honored for his three decades of dedication to bridging the private and public sectors. The Changemakers Award was presented to Mr Jafar by the Global Partnerships Forum, working in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations, during the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.

Mr Jafar received the accolade at UN Headquarters from Amir Dossal, Founder and President of the Global Partnerships Forum, who praised Mr Jafar's leadership in leveraging business, philanthropy, and partnerships to advance sustainable and inclusive development.

Upon accepting the honor, Mr Jafar emphasized that meaningful transformation requires collective effort. "No single sector has all the answers," he stated, highlighting how governments set the framework, businesses scale solutions, and philanthropy takes calculated risks to sustain long-term progress.

Appointed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Mr Jafar's mandate involves mobilizing business and philanthropic stakeholders to support the UAE's strategic and diplomatic objectives. His recent engagements include convening discussions on water sector investments ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, supporting the African Union's Agenda 2063 through strategic philanthropy, and addressing artificial intelligence and inclusive growth.

Mr Jafar's partnership with the UN began in 2010 with the establishment of the Pearl Initiative in cooperation with the UN Office for Partnerships, aimed at fostering corporate governance throughout the Gulf region. The recognition ceremony also paid tribute to other notable figures, including José Ramos-Horta, President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; Dr Ann Aerts, head of the Novartis Foundation; and Dr Srgjan Kerim, President of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly.