His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to H.H. the President of the UAE and Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University has become the first Emirati to be installed as Associate Foreign Member of L’Académie des sciences morales et politiques (the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences) in a ceremony held under the Cupola of the Institut de France in Paris.
The Institut de France is a premier learned society created in 1795 and comprises five Académies, of which L’Académie des Sciences Morales and Politiques is the youngest. The four others are the French Academy – concerning the French language, the Academy of Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, the Academy of Sciences, and the Academy of Fine Arts. Placed under the protection of the President of the French Republic the Institut de France exists to perpetuate intellectual progress, support creative production, and serve as guardian of architectural, artistic, and intellectual heritage.
L’Académie des Sciences Morales and Politiques occupies an unparalleled place in the French intellectual landscape. Dedicated to the study of man, his life in society and his relationship to the world, it promotes dialogue between the academic disciplines of the human sciences (philosophy, psychology, sociology, law, economics, politics, history, and geography) to shed light on issues and challenges of the present time. The dispassionate, rational, and reflective nature of its members work serves the practical purposes of guiding public opinion and informing future policy making and action.
Foreign Associate Members are internationally recognised public figures, renown for the calibre of their contributions to civic affairs and the erudition with which they have discharged the responsibilities of their high positions. The number of Foreign Associate Members is limited to twelve, and His Excellency was elected to the position by the French Académiciens following the death of the renown Swiss literary critic Professor Jean Starobinski. His Excellency’s election to the Académie is tribute to his long government service during which he has enriched UAE’s cultural and education foundations and served foreign affairs, in particular developing close bonds between the UAE, the global Francophonie, and prestigious cultural and educational institutions of France.
The Installation Ceremony was presided over by the President of the Académie, Professor Emeritus of Arabic and religious philosophy, Rémi Brague. Professor Brague specialises in Islamic, Jewish, and Christian thought of the Middle Ages. His Excellency Nusseibeh was presented by the Perpetual Secretary of the Académie, the internationally renown geographer Professor Jean-Robert Pitte. Professor Pitte is a specialist in landscape and gastronomy, the President of the French Geographical Society, the President of the French Mission for Heritage and Food Cultures and has previously served as the President of Paris-Sorbonne University. In the latter capacity he worked with His Excellency to bring the Sorbonne University to Abu Dhabi.
Professor Pitte presented His Excellency as “a citizen of the world, a representative of an Orient open to all cultures, and a peacemaker, a mission inscribed in the genes of his family for nearly fourteen centuries”. He said that His Excellency is “a man of exquisite delicacy and a most pleasant manner, full of humor and empathy”, and praised his “ambitious vision and loyalty to the reigning family which ensure he remains a vizier, a valued counsellor to the sons of the founder of the Emirates”.
Professor Pitte paid tribute to the cultural influence of the UAE and its recent rapprochement with Israel, in which he sees hope for progress in peace and inter-religious dialogue. He noted that His Excellency is the author of numerous publications devoted to cultural diplomacy, the fight against extremism, and the pursuit of tolerance.
Professor Pitte read a salutation written in honour of His Excellency by a fellow Foreign Associate Member, His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. Prince Hassan’s message read, “In Jerusalem, the city of Peace, which symbolizes cultural affinity and solidarity between Muslims and Christians, the Nusseibeh family has become the guardian of the keys of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher since the time of Saladin. Ever since, a member of the Nusseibeh family has performed the daily opening and closing of the Portal. Zaki’s late father, Anwar Nusseibeh, made great contributions to cultural, political, and social life in Jordan. Following in his father’s footsteps, occupying senior positions in various establishments, Zaki contributed to the development of culture, arts and diplomacy in the United Arab Emirates as well as to the development of certain major cultural and artistic initiatives in Abu Dhabi. He believes in the major role of education, culture, knowledge, and innovation in shaping the personality of young people and in facing current challenges. Through the installation of Zaki, L’Académie des Sciences Morales and Politiques continues to build cultural bridges between France and the Arab world and to strengthen intercultural dialogue between like-minded people”.
Following his installation, Zaki Nusseibeh gave an address to the assembled audience of Académiciens and invited guests. He attributed his election to the milieu of the United Arab Emirates, “the country that it has been my honour, blessing, and good fortune to serve for the majority of my career”. He said, “There is great historical meaning in the election to the Académie of its first member from the Arabian Gulf region and, moreover, that the honour and responsibility is granted to me as citizen of the United Arab Emirates. Indeed, I conclude a necessary connection between my own professional and intellectual growth and my life’s milieu. Therefore, the distinction of my election belongs not to me. It is rather testament to the values, aspirations, and capacities of the United Arab Emirates, and the inspirational individuals I have encountered there”.
His Excellency Nusseibeh used his address to describe the hallmarks of the UAE’s development and what he believes has been central to its successful development as a nation. He said, “The UAE is a country rooted in the true heritage of Islam, thus placing a priority on the dignity of human life. The UAE’s national vision and strategies resonate with the pursuit of tolerance, empathy, and compassion. They express the forcefully and fundamentally humanitarian values that reflect its Islamic teachings. Its leadership and governance are devoted to ensuring each of its residents has equal access to the security, resources, and opportunity that are necessary to a healthy, safe, and purposeful life. Furthermore, the UAE’s horizons have always expanded beyond its shores to promote international openness, cooperation, and charity. This worldview recognises that our national welfare is interdependent with global wellbeing. Above all, the nation advocates peaceful coexistence both within the diverse multicultural communities housed in its territories, and between countries and peoples of the world”.
Zaki Nusseibeh’s oration drew parallels between these hallmarks of the UAE and the central motivations of the professional and personal career of his predecessor, Professor Starobinski. Starobinski was acclaimed as one of the greatest humanists of the 20th Century, devoting his intellectual force to the enlightenment and nurture of humanism, which he defined as the effort, “to prioritise attention to the human experience in all its diversity and contradictions. It is the urge to make sense of the world we inhabit. It is the desire to perceive the history we stand on in the present moment and to formulate a principled way of life. It is the priority role given to a moral requirement which makes a human person not a means but an end, a living entity recognised in its singularity and difference”.
His Excellency traced the realisation of the UAE’s humanitarian hallmarks through three eras of the nation’s leadership. He said, “Sheikh Zayed was a transformational leader with deeply humanitarian values and worldview. He understood the purpose of his leadership to be the alleviation of human suffering and the maximisation of human potential. He was emphatic about his vision but viewed that it could only be fulfilled through the collaboration of the people – people motivated by a shared belief in the possibility of building a nation prosperous enough to secure their own wellbeing. Sheikh Zayed’s success as a transformational leader lay in something profound, immutable, and powerful. He represented all that the Arabic word murou’a conveys – generosity, chivalry, nobility, charity, and empathy. These virtues and instincts led him to prioritise human dignity, coexistence, and wellbeing. Today our national institutions, infrastructure, and norms provide for our statehood and embody his humanitarian worldview. The fabric of our country and the identity of its people is woven through with his values.
His Excellency told the audience that “Today the UAE provides the model of human development for the Arab region. Today, the domestic policies of the United Arab Emirates, our dealings with Arab and Islamic states, and our wider commitments to the international institutions of global governance continue the humanitarian methodology of the nation’s first president. Our present wise leadership recognises that it is crucial to a nation’s resilience and stability to develop human capacity, to prioritise human wellbeing, and to promote and implement a humanist ethos”.
His Excellency then spoke of the UAE’s future. He described how “The fiftieth anniversary of the United Arab Emirates has given the nation cause to reflect on the priorities and processes necessary to secure our growth and prosperity in the next fifty years. It is certain that our advances with nation-building have already generated the intellectual and cultural capital necessary to an economic diversification away from dependency on oil-revenues. Yet our present leadership wished to provide overarching vision and direction to this effort. In doing so they derived ten guiding principles. The leadership’s two primary principles are to strengthen the union of the UAE and to foster a vibrant, diversified economy. Three further principles identify the tools we must use to do this. They instruct us to further develop human capital, to expand the frontiers of our digital, technical, and scientific excellence, and to continue a foreign policy based on multilateral cooperation. However, I find the final five principles the most striking. The principles present an ethical framework for the direction of economic and social progress. They ask us to practice the principles of good-neighbourliness, openness and tolerance, and charitable aid. They instruct us to advocate for peace and harmony, and to use negotiation and dialogue as the means to conflict resolution. They honour and continue our humanitarian legacy”.
Concluding his address, His Excellency spoke of his own hopes for his own future as lifelong elected Foreign Associate member of the Académie. He said, “I hope that in taking my place amongst you, our association will be mutually enriching, bringing opportunities for dialogue, collaboration, and connection at the level of individuals, organisations, and our nations. I would like to think that any such projects would foster international, interdisciplinary, cultural, and moral perspectives that help us interpret contemporary world affairs. Such projects would harness our intellectual energy and resources towards the invigoration of a humanist culture that renders a life worth living”.
As Foreign Associate Member, His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh takes his place alongside:
- Pope Emeritus, His Excellency Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
- King Emeritus, His Majesty Juan Carlos of Spain
- His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Duke of Cornwall
- His Royal Highness Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan
- Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
- Jean-Claude Junker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and former President of the European Commission
- Mario Monti, former European Commissioner, former Prime Minister of Italy, and long serving President of Bocconi University in Milan
- Wolfgang Schäuble, former President of the federal parliament of Germany
- Dora Bakoyannis, former and first female Mayor of Athens and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Culture for the Hellenic Republic
- Ismaïl Kadaré, Albanian novelist, poet, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright
Guests at the Installation Ceremony included:
- Her Excellency Hend Al Otaiba, Ambassador of the UAE to France
- His Excellency Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi, Ambassador of the Permanent Delegation of the United Arab Emirates to UNESCO
- Her Excellency Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, Professor of Medicine, Director General of the Frontline Heroes Office, and a Senior Advisor at Mubadala
- Her Excellency Madame Séverine Fautrelle, France’s Minister of Culture and Communication
- His Excellency Bertrand Besancenot, former Ambassador of France to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and France’s Envoy to the Middle East
- Anne Guiguen, Director for MENA at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Mattieu Payraud, Director of Culture, Education, Research, and Resources at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Her Majesty Farah Pahlavi, former Empress of Iran and Foreign Associate Member of the Academie des Belles Artes, Institut de France
- Chems-eddine Mohamed Hafiz, Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris
- Jean-Paul Villan, Director, Head of Strategy Unit, and Adviser to the President of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
- Jack Lang, President of the Institut du Monde Arabe
- Hervé Barbaret, Director General of France Museums
- Olivier Gabet, Director General of the Musée des arts décoratifs
- Yannick Lintz, Director of the Department of Islamic Arts, Louvre
- Vincent Lefevre, Director of the Musée national des arts asiatiques Guimet
- Christine Hirzel, Global Head of Boards of Directors and External Relations, INSEAD
- Etienne Cazin, Director of the Centre for Studies of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Sciences Po, Paris
- Professor Éric Fouache, former Director of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
- Fairouz Villain, President of the Friends of the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
- Dr. Guillaume Fiquet, Vice President for International Relations and Partnerships, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
- Dr. Céline Pouyat, Head of Education Outreach for Universities at Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and Founding Director of the Archaeology and Art History Department at the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi
- Professor Guillame Leyte, President of the Dubai Campus of Paris 2 – Panthéon-ASSAS
- Alexandre Negrus, President of the Institute of Applied Geopolitical Studies, France
- Romain Bertolino, Director General of the Institute of Applied Geopolitical Studies, France
- Laurent Vivier, Director for MENA, TotalEnergies
- Patrice Bergamini, Vice-Président CMA CGM transport maritime
- Jean-Lou Blachier, Président, Groupement du Patronat Francophone
- Houssam Nasrawin, Director for the Middle East, Groupement du Patronat Francophone
- François-Aïsssa Touazi, Senior Managing Director for the Middle East, Africa, Central and South-East Asia, Ardian
