Princess Haya Bint AL Hussein, Wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE Ruler of Dubai, received US First Lady Laura Bush, on the very first visit by a US first Lady to the UAE.

Princes Haya and Mrs. Bush visited the Dubai Chamber of Commerce (DCCI) and Industry where they were greeted by the DCCI’s Chairman Mr. Obeid AL Tayer, during which the US First Lady launched the US- Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research.

Princess Haya welcomed Mrs. Bush and spoke of the First Lady’s career as an advocate for promoting reading among young people and her strong support for the youth and children of the United States. She also commended Mrs. Bush’s effort in promoting awareness on breast cancer saying "Mrs. Bush is pushing the bar higher to create maximum impact on the ground and to educate women {about breast cancer}. By doing so she is empowering women to take control of their health and their destiny".

She stressed out that breast cancer is no longer considered a women’s issues, as it affects a wider proportion of society. She called for more collaboration on this front saying that "we can have a positive influence - the more we unite our resources, the better we are prepared to face this disease. The more we are able to educate women, regardless of their backgrounds or nationalities, the more we can succeed in tackling this disease at an early stage".

Thanking Dubai Corporate Sector in displaying a successful model for corporate social responsibility, Princess Haya praised their role and that of the sponsors of the US-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research in making the initiative a successful one.

On her part,Mrs. Bush spoke of the experience of the United States in raising awareness amongst the public on breast cancer, saying that 25 years ago no spoke of breast cancer, but a lot has changes since then. She also described Dubai as an economic power house of the middle east, and said that Dubai as a global city is providing a good example of a global citizen and cited Dubai Cares Initiative which was lunched by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid AL Maktoum as an example Mrs. Obied Al Tayer spoke on the support that DCCI gave to the US-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research. During his speech Mr. Al Tayer announced an annual award for companies demonstrating best practices in social corporate responsibility.