On the occasion of UAE's 24th National Environment Day on February 4, Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, stated that the UAE's leadership is focused on achieving economic diversification across the country. In his address, Sheikh Hamdan affirmed that UAE's policies are aimed at providing sustainable urban planning, ensuring the availability of cleaner energy resources, and achieving food security while tackling unprecedented challenges posed by climate change.

This year, the UAE marked its annual Environment Day under the theme "Green Recovery" in line with the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sheikh Hamdan accredited UAE's inspiring ecological profile to the directives issued by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan along with the support of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Sheikh Hamdan asserted that the UAE has been continuously working towards achieving a balance between economic development and ecological improvement in accordance with its efficient policies. The UAE leadership has designed the policies with the aim of ensuring economic diversification and facilitating a smooth transition from an oil-reliant country to a knowledge-based and innovation-driven nation, he added.

He further highlighted the UAE's determination to protect the ecological heritage of the country by continuing its efforts to protect its natural resources. The UAE leadership seeks to pass on the preserved natural resources to the next generations to come.

In conclusion, Sheikh Hamdan stated that world governments have included measures of economic recovery in the aftermath of COVID-19 in their post-pandemic policies.

"Decision-makers across the globe are seriously taking sustainability factors into consideration while charting any recovery policies in order to ensure their plans to weather the crisis will be permanent solutions rather than temporary ones," he added.

WAM