Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan was born 1948 is the current President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ruler of Abu Dhabi. He is the eldest son of Sheikh Zayed. Sheikh Khalifa became the Prime Minister of Abu Dhabi, Minister of Defense and Finance. He became the 2nd Deputy Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates on 23 December 1973 and Chairman of Executive Council of Abu Dhabi on 20 January 1974, under his father Sheikh Zayed. In May 1976 he became deputy commander of the UAE armed forces, under the President. He also heads the Supreme Petroleum Council in the late 1980s (until today). Also, he was the Chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDH and he is the current chairman of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD). on 3 November 2004, after the death of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, he effectively became the President of UAE.