Official Visit to the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom

An important part of the role of the Governor is international engagement and working to further the interests of Victorian institutions and industries around the world. Recently, the Governor travelled to the United Arab Emirates at the request of the Victorian Government, in order to support Victoria’s significant presence at Expo 2020 Dubai, and to attend a range of events and meetings focused on collaboration in the education, sport, food and technology sectors.  

During the visit, the Governor met with  Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, the UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology, and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency. This meeting was an opportunity for the Governor and the Minister to discuss the ways in which Victoria and the UAE can further enhance their cooperation in advanced manufacturing and technology. 

The Governor also met with Her Excellency Shamsa Saleh, Secretary-General of the UAE Gender Balance Council, where they discussed ways to enhance opportunities to increase the participation of women in various sectors. In addition, the Governor met with Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, to discuss initiatives underway in addressing food security, waste management and climate change in both the UAE and Victoria.  

The Governor attended and hosted a number of events with business leaders in the region and witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between mRNA Victoria and the Abu Dhabi Department of Health.   

Marking International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Governor hosted a lunch for UAE and expatriate women in leadership, and spoke at a reception for women in sport. She also spoke with Fatma Samoura, Secretary General of FIFA, about a range of issues for women in sports and sports administration, including the six matches of the FIFA Women’s World Cup which will be hosted by Victoria  in 2023. 

The Governor  visited a range of Expo 2020 Pavilions  to learn more about the innovative  work being done around the world across many sectors.  Among them, the Governor visited the Pavilions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, France and Italy. The Governor also visited the Women’s Pavilion, which was designed around the theme ‘When women thrive, humanity thrives’. 

Education is Victoria’s largest services export industry, and the Governor e joined His Highness Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, in visiting the Victorian International School Sharjah, where she met and spoke with staff and students and experienced a range of impressive cultural performances by the students. 

The Governor also had the opportunity to experience some of several of the UAE’s distinctive cultural institutions, including the Museum of the Future [link to website], the Mlheiha Archaeological Centre [link to website], the Louvre Abu Dhabi [link to website], and the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque [link to website]. 

Following the Governor’s visit to the UAE, the Governor travelled on to the United Kingdom at the request of the Government.  In the United Kingdom, she participated in the Victorian bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, as well as meeting with the Australian High Commissioner and the Lord Mayor of the City of London. 

Learn more about the Governor’s role in supporting Victoria’s International Engagement here [link to web news], and to learn more about the Governor’s recent official visits to the UAE and the United Kingdom, visit Twitter and Instagram.