UAE National Day to be celebrated as International Day of Future

Dubai: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has endorsed the UAE’s National Day that falls on December 2 as an International Day of Future.

World Future’s Day, which will take place on this date every year, is an invitation to the countries of the world to embrace the future and develop their capabilities in the fields of foresight, readiness and proactive policy-making to ensure sustainable development for future generations.

The choice of December 2 is a sign of appreciation for the UAE’s global role over the past 50 years to imagine and create the future, as well as its exceptional experience in anticipating economic, industrial and social change and its high readiness in future sectors. The UAE continues to deliver proactive policies and projects that enable it to embrace future trends and opportunities in all fields that affect daily life.

Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took to his twitter account to announce the Unesco’s endorsement, in a ground-breaking achievements to be added to the UAE’s portfolio of accomplishments.

“The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has unanimously approved the UAE’s National Day that falls on December 2 as an International Day of Future to be celebrated worldwide where countries will dedicate the day to foresee their development future and their readiness to create their opportunities and plans for generations to come,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.

Unanimous recognition

The adoption of World Futures Day was a unanimous decision at the 41st session of UNESCO’s General Conference, which concluded on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, in, Paris. It came within the framework of the organisation’s efforts to strengthen the capabilities of countries and governments to foresee the future and to develop new means to enhance international collaboration through conferences and workshops that encourage communities to participate in the process of creating the future.

Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, said: “COVID has reminded us that we can and must change course. As new threats cast dark shadows on our present, we must harness the world's incredible diversity to imagine and build our futures collectively. This is the spirit of World Futures Day, through which UNESCO, as the United Nations' intellectual and prospective agency, invites everyone to think about the future, in order to change the present”.

World Futures Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of developing a “future mindset”, which can contribute to augmenting the preparedness of governments to address various challenges, invent new solutions that nurture comprehensive development, and promote international dialogue and cooperation aimed at stimulating creativity and innovation. It also aims to enhance countries’ knowledge of the future, drawing attention to the importance of anticipating the future, enabling countries to use scientific tools that contribute to shaping it, and enhancing public awareness of its importance as a concept that leads to sustainable development.