Sheikh Hamdan honours ‘Day for Dubai’ volunteers at Expo 2020 Dubai

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, on Sunday honoured a group of volunteers taking part in ‘Day for Dubai’, an initiative launched by the Dubai Government in 2017.

Sunday's ceremony was organised by Watani Al Emarat Foundation to honour around 600 volunteers on the occasion of ‘International Volunteer Day’.

Tweeting on the occasion, Sheikh Hamdan said: “We are very proud to see voluntary work becoming an inherent value in the UAE society. We thank all volunteers who spared no time or effort to serve our society and boost the renaissance of our country.”

He added: “I was happy to meet the volunteers during a ceremony honouring ‘Day for Dubai’ volunteers, organised by Watani Al Emarat Foundation at Expo 2020 Dubai.”

New initiative

During the event, Sheikh Hamdan announced the launch of the ‘Day for Dubai Majlis’, an initiative aimed at supporting the ‘Day for Dubai’ initiative he had launched in 2017 to promote social responsibility among Dubai’s citizens and strengthen the values and spirit of volunteerism. The initiative encourages every resident to share the gift of their time by dedicating at least a day of the year to use their talent and skillset in a voluntary capacity to help those in need, improve and maintain their city and community, and protect the environment.

The event was also attended by Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020, and Dherar Belhoul Al Falasi, Member of the Federal National Council and Director-General of the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, along with members of organisations supporting the ‘Day for Dubai Majlis’ initiative.

Al Hashimy said the ‘Day for Dubai Majlis’ initiative will contribute to deeply embedding a culture of volunteerism in the nation and its society. She praised the social role played by volunteers and highlighted the contributions of volunteers to the success of Expo.

Al Falasi also hailed the initiative which he said will have a positive impact on UAE society. eHe He reiterated the support of the Federal National Council in line with the strategic vision of the country and its leaders.

The ‘Day for Dubai’ initiative was launched in 2017 with the aim of mobilising volunteers to support initiatives inspired by the ‘Year of Zayed’ and ‘Year of Giving’ and reinforce Dubai’s status as the most giving city in the world.

Day for Dubai is a city-wide volunteering initiative. It calls on nationals and residents of Dubai to volunteer on one day in a year to help those in need and support community services by offering their time, knowledge, or skills.

Volunteers can contribute by giving a full day to the volunteering activities or spread out their time over the year to complete a day.