More than 100 NYUAD community members gathered at one of the UAE’s unique ecosystems near Jebel Ali to plant 5,000 mangrove trees in under an hour. This initiative aligns with the UAE’s national goal, announced at COP26, to plant one hundred million mangroves by 2030. This national commitment is part of the UAE’s initiative to leverage natural-based solutions to combat climate change, as mangroves serve as important carbon sinks and protect the UAE’s coasts from rising sea levels. The UAE is home to more than a dozen mangrove sites and has plans to expand and develop its presence across the Emirates.

NYUAD Host Prominent Philanthropists to Drive the Conversation on Strategic Giving 

NYU Abu Dhabi’s (NYUAD) Strategic Philanthropy Initiative (SPI), the first academic and community-based platform to shape a dynamic and strategic practice of philanthropy within the UAE and the wider region, in partnership with the Pearl Initiative, hosted an interactive discussion focused on trends in regional philanthropy. The talk highlighted the opportunity to see philanthropic capital as risk capital to pave the way to achieving sustainable and scalable social impact, further strengthening and promoting strategic giving in the Gulf region and South Asia.

Tamkeen in association with the Aspen Institute, organized the return of Ideas Abu Dhabi, one of the UAE’s flagship thought-leadership platforms. Organized in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and staged at NYUAD, prominent philanthropist and Co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates participated in a fireside chat with Rima Al Mokarrab, Co-Chair of Ideas Abu Dhabi and Chair of Tamkeen. Their session on ‘Big Bets and Patient Capital’, explored the ways in which new models of philanthropy can be effective vehicles for creating long term maximum impact.

An Inclusive Performance for an Included Audience

As part of The Arts Center’s community outreach initiatives, Candoco Dance Company, dedicated to the inclusive integration of people of determination alongside dancers without disabilities, put on a matinee for Abu Dhabi school students and people of determination. The performance of Trisha Brown’s landmark work Set & Reset/Reset, adapted specifically for Candoco, was sensory modified, with adjustments to lighting and volume, to ensure the performance was accessible for neurodivergent audience members looking to attend.

Health Survey of Indigenous Nepali People Uncovers Clues about the Prevalence and Determinants of Non-communicable Diseases

A team of researchers led by NYU Abu Dhabi undergraduate student Tsedenia Denekew in the lab of Assistant Professor of Biology Aashish Jha investigated the level of risk of NCDs for indigenous people in Nepal, and found that the determinants of hypertension, or high blood pressure, in these populations differ from those in worldwide populations, indicating there may be novel and yet undetected causes of hypertension in indigenous people more broadly. 

NYUAD and ECA Launch Abu Dhabi-specific Parenting Program

The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority announced launching the Abu Dhabi-specific Parenting Program in partnership with the NYUAD, and in collaboration with Zayed University and the Emirates College for Advanced Education. By involving a group of Emirati and international academics, experts, and researchers, the evidence-based and culturally grounded program will cover various topics related to the early childhood development  using innovative training, engagement, and research tools.