Just 50 years ago, when the Founding Fathers came together in Union House and bound together these United Arab Emirates into a single national entity embracing their shared outlook, they did so in a belief that they were creating a nation unlike any other — one that was eagerly embracing the future, reaching out and drawing what is to come close to their work at hand.
The UAE embraces the future simply because it is a nation with vison, one that sees potential and wonder.
Now, this inherent philosophy and brave outlook is at the heart of the designation by Unesco — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — of December 2 at the International day of the Future.
For all of us — nationals and residents — December 2 has long been set as our National Day, one where we look with pride at all that we have in common, our shared goals, our achievements and just how far this nation has come over the past 50 years. It has been an incredible journey, unmatched by others.
Now that December 2 will henceforth be marked on calendars the world over as the International Day of the future is certainly apt and appropriate.
World Future’s Day
World Future’s Day every December 2 will be an open invitation to all other nations and peoples to embrace the future just as the UAE has done since that pivotal moment at Union house five decades ago.
December 2 will now be a date where nations can look at their achievements and develop their capabilities in the fields of foresight, readiness and proactive policy-making to ensure sustainable development for future generations.
Over the past five decades, that is exactly what has been done here in the UAE as the country’s leadership forged a progressive nation in a social and economic covenant that looks ahead, not behind.
That Unesco approved the change marking December 2 as World Future Day is an endorsement of the UAE’s model role around the world and its unrelenting embrace of the future. The unknown of times to come is not to be feared, it serves instead as a threshold for what might be and is possible.
Over the past five decades, the UAE has planned and anticipated economic, industrial and social change and has always adopted a ready stance to assimilate changes and harness potential in all areas of life.
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