Abdulrahman Abdulmannan Al Awar (; born 21 November 1969) is an Emirati politician, and academic who currently serves as the Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He was also appointed Acting Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in September 2023.
Early life and education.
Al Awar was born on 21 November 1969 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He holds a Ph.D. in Geology and Geochemistry from the Colorado School of Mines in the United States (1995), where his research focused on petroleum systems. He has completed executive programs at Harvard Business School and is a visiting professor at the American University of Sharjah.
Career.
He began his career at Dubai Petroleum as a senior geoscientist. He later became Executive Vice President of Business Development – New Smelters at DUBAL. He also worked for Dolphin Energy and served on committees at HSBC Middle East.
In 2009, Al Awar became Director General of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR), and from 2013 to 2021, he served as Director General of TANMIA.
Appointed Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation in 2021, Al Awar led major reforms including Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 that introduced flexible work, remote policies, anti-discrimination laws, and parental leave.
In 2022, he expanded the NAFIS program to support Emirati employment in the private sector.
In 2023, as Acting Minister of Higher Education, he launched the National Higher Education Strategy 2030.
International engagement.
Al Awar represented the UAE at:
Personal life.
He advocates for continuous learning and work-life balance.