HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, led a delegation to DSG to meet with a visiting delegation of 25 young professionals who are taking part in the Project Encounter program. The participants are spending nine days touring the UAE and Qatar as part of an agenda designed to broaden their understanding of the social, economic and political dimensions of the Middle East. 

Members of the visiting delegation engaged in a candid and open discussion with His Highness and other dignitaries about the political and social changes ongoing in the region, while at the same time praising the UAE’s advances and achievements. A number of visitors noted their surprise at discovering the tolerant, liberal nature of UAE society, which runs counter to the negative stereotype that frequently prevails in popular perceptions. 

Concluding the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his support for exchange trips between young people from the East and West, saying that it promotes candid communication and helps to dispel inaccurate perceptions among cultures. 

Also accompanying His Highness were dignitaries including HE Sultan bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World, and HE Mohammed Al-Abbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, Director-General of the Government of Dubai Media Office HE Ahmed Abdullah Al Shaikh, DSG Executive President HE Tariq Hilal Lootah, and other senior officials.