UAE takes lead in sustainable development

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said that the UAE will continue to advance under the direction of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in all spheres of sustainable development in order to scale greater heights over the coming 50 years.

The full text of the statement runs as follows:

“Dear UAE Citizens,

In terms of successes, the government’s performance was outstanding and it continued to adopt the best standards in the fields of planning, implementation, follow-up and project implementation. Moreover, the government achieved significant progress in its digital transformation programme, as well as in boosting the efficiency of its infrastructure and digital assets. Under this framework, I thank all government employees for efficiently implementing relevant plans and projects.

In continuation of the approach we adopted, we issued the Federal Budget for 2023-2026 early, focusing on ambitious plans and projects that look forward to new and promising future horizons while adding to existing achievements and improving standards of living and quality of life. In this budget, the development and social benefits sector accounts for the largest share at 39.3 percent in 2023.

We continue to empower Emirati citizens by implementing sustainable plans and projects. Therefore, we established a council to ensure balanced national development and advance all regions and villages in terms of development and tourism. We have also adopted a new housing loan policy within a financing programme totalling AED11.5 billion, which will benefit 12,000 families over the next 5 years.

To encourage national cadres to engage in the private sector, we have established a system to increase Emiratisation by two percent for skilled jobs available in private sector companies with more than 50 employees.

Education remains a national priority in the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed. Under the framework, a specialist government action team, an efficient educational system, the Emirati community and parents will raise a generation that can lead us to new horizons.

We are confidently progressing to the overall advancement of our entire education system, and we are monitoring the positive outcomes of various developmental processes. I am proud of the performance of our sons and daughters who graduated in all areas of work, and our national cadres specialising in space sciences, atomic energy, and civil and military industries. Our citizens are now managing the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, actively engaging in artificial intelligence, leading our space programmes and industries, and have dispatched the Hope Probe to Mars.

Dear citizens,

You are well aware of the major economic challenges faced by the world during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War, and we have addressed these challenges with policies and procedures that eased their negative effects.

We have also adopted the National Food Security Strategy, which includes an agricultural policy and the transition to advanced agricultural methods. Furthermore, we have issued a new law on cooperatives that stipulates the adoption of new methods of cooperative governance.

Moreover, we have issued the UAE Tourism Strategy 2031, which aims to promote a unified national identity and support Emirati tourism, as part of the Projects of the 50. Our country today is one of the ten most attractive destinations in the world, and our objective is to increase our competitiveness and raise the contribution of tourism to our GDP to Dhs450 billion by 2031.

All of these coincided with the adoption of relevant legislation, in line with the best international practices.

Another key challenge facing the world is global warming or climate change, which negatively affects economic development and rainfall levels.

Despite the international awareness about the risks of climate change, as well as the holding of relevant conferences and the signing of related agreements since 1995, the real interest in adopting relevant policies did not begin until recently, due to the rising catastrophes caused by global warming.

The UAE has prioritised climate action at an early stage, and we have implemented legislation, action plans and policies to address this issue. We established the Supreme Committee for Environment in 1975, and we now have the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.

Under the framework of the National Climate Change Plan and the Emirates Energy Strategy 2050, we have accomplished tangible achievements in reaching climate neutrality and increasing clean energy production by 2050.

Our country contributes to the international efforts to limit the rise in global temperatures, through our advanced model of dealing with the climate issue, our achievements in the field of clean energy, the creation of an ideal working environment for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the international projects of Masdar City, as well as our strategic partnership with the US to invest US$100 billion in clean energy projects in the two countries and around the world by 2035.

WAM