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The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that H.E. Badr Jafar, the UAE Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Business and Philanthropy and CEO of Crescent Enterprises, received the award from Amir Dossal, founder and president of the Global Partnerships Forum. The presentation occurred at UN headquarters during the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly. The Global Partnerships Forum organised the 2026 Changemakers Awards ceremony in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Tonga to the United Nations, recognising leaders from government, philanthropy, business, science and culture.
Badr Jafar was honoured for his leadership in driving change by harnessing business, philanthropy and partnerships to accelerate sustainable and inclusive development, according to the ministry statement. In remarks at the event, Badr Jafar said, “The title Changemaker may be singular, but meaningful change is never achieved by one person alone. If there is one lesson I have learned from my experience in business and philanthropy, it is that no single sector has all the answers.” He added that change depends on an interconnected ecosystem where government sets the framework and direction, business builds, develops and scales solutions, and philanthropy bridges the two by taking risks others cannot.
The ministry listed other honorees at the ceremony, which included H.E. José Ramos-Horta, President of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Dr. Ann Aerts, head of the Novartis Foundation, and H.E. Dr. Srgjan Kerim, president of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly. Each recipient was selected for contributions aligned with global development objectives. The event formed part of activities tied to the UN General Assembly session in New York.
Badr Jafar has served as CEO of Crescent Enterprises, a diversified UAE-based conglomerate operating across multiple sectors in 17 countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted in its profile of the envoy. He previously acted as the COP28 Special Representative for Business and Philanthropy, where he chaired the inaugural Business and Philanthropy Forum. In September 2024, he was appointed to the special envoy role by the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, building on earlier UN engagements that included membership in the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing.
In an interview with The National three days before the award, Badr Jafar highlighted that official aid fell by almost a quarter last year, marking the largest drop on record, even as private capital sought productive deployment. He stressed the need to connect investors, donors and governments to address development shortfalls. This perspective aligns with his broader work promoting corporate governance through the Pearl Initiative, a non-profit launched at the United Nations in 2010 that focuses on the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined that Badr Jafar also holds positions including chairman of Gulftainer, the world’s largest privately owned container port operator, and president of Crescent Petroleum. His activities extend to board memberships and advisory roles in chambers of commerce and business councils between the UAE and the United Kingdom. These responsibilities have positioned him to advocate for greater private sector involvement in areas ranging from humanitarian aid to education and environmental initiatives.
Data from the UAE government indicate that such cross-sector efforts support the country’s contributions to international development targets, though specific investment volumes tied to the envoy’s portfolio were not detailed in the award announcement. Badr Jafar’s recognition underscores ongoing UAE engagement with UN platforms on philanthropy and sustainable investment. The award adds to distinctions that include the Order of Zayed conferred in May 2024 by the UAE President.
