Abu Dhabi: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has said that the Spirit of the Union that runs through the people of the UAE, have rendered the word 'impossible' void, "and with that, we have turned making achievements to a way of life, and made progress a part of our plans and actions."
In a statement to Nation Shield magazine on the occasion of the 48th UAE National Day, Sheikh Mohammed added, "We will continue to deliver the future for our generations to come.
The occasion we are celebrating today is teeming with a myriad of lessons that we have learned from our Founding Fathers, who instilled in us an ambition and will to cope with the changes in the world and to utilise our full potential.
Below is the statement in full:
"Today, the accomplishments of 48 years lay before us, as we remember with all gratitude our Founding Father, the symbol of our union, the founder of our renaissance, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his life companion, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, as well as the rest of the Founding Fathers.
"With their memory, we see a vision that led to the birth of our nation, and an ambition which laid the foundations for a country strengthened by its sons and daughters and its Armed Forces and security services. A nation which champions sustainable development, and embodies the values of unity, loyalty and cohesion.
"The UAE 'model' has shifted from one condition to another, and from age to another, and we have established progress and opened up our aspirations to wider horizons, and for our future generations the best opportunities.
Responsibility for preserving
"As Emiratis bask in pride and satisfaction with the achievements and successes of their country, I am sure that they also carry a full sense of responsibility for preserving, developing and growing those achievements.
"The Spirit of the Union that runs through us, have rendered the word 'impossible' void in our dictionary, and with that, we have turned making achievements to a way of life, and made progress a part of our plans and actions.
"We will continue to deliver the future for our generations to come. The occasion we are celebrating today is teeming with a myriad of lessons that we have learned from our Founding Fathers, who instilled in us an ambition and will to cope with the changes in the world and to utilise our full potential.
Ambitious strategy
"As the dawn of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) falls on us, we have launched an ambitious strategy that positions the UAE as a model for interactive cities, using Artificial Intelligence to achieve sustainability and accelerate our transition to a knowledge-based economy.
"From an early stage, we realised the importance of space sciences and made it clear that those who won’t establish their foothold in space would find it hard on earth.
"And out of this perspective we have established relevant legislation to groom Emirati cadres capable of delivering the future.
"We’ve managed to manufacture the first entirely Emirati-made satellite and celebrated our sons’ launch to the International Space Station. And now our young Emiratis are in the final stages of launching Probe Hope next year.
"We have many future plans, which cannot be listed in full here. I suffice here to highlight our clean energy efforts through our trendsetting initiatives, such as Masdar. The UAE leads in its sustainability efforts and use of various forms of renewable energy.
"The UAE Energy Strategy 2050 targets an energy mix combining renewable, clean energy sources and nuclear power to meet the Emirates' economic requirements and environmental goals.
Future-oriented plans, initiatives
"As we celebrate today the 48th anniversary of our Union, we launch substantial future-oriented plans and initiatives underpinned by a robust research infrastructure represented in our AI Labs and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
"As to our national economy, we have made great strides thanks to our resilient and flexible legislation, and public-private partnerships transparency and accountability.
"Despite the global economic slowdown, our non-oil trade is growing and our ecommerce is advancing as well at an annual average rate of 23 percent. Our national economy enjoys an advanced ranking at the World Competitiveness Yearbook 2019, published by the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development.
"We have made great strides as well at the level of political empowerment with 337,738 having participated in the latest parliamentary elections.
"We have strengthened women’s empowerment as part of our efforts to achieve gender equality, with Emirati women fulfilling their responsibilities at all levels.
Year of Tolerance
"With our Year of Tolerance drawing to a close this month, tolerance will continue to be an integral part of our social fabric, beliefs and values. We will continue our role in strengthening human fraternity between the followers of different faiths and religions.
"We will maintain our ranking as the world's largest donor of official development aid, relative to our gross national income.
"As we are getting fully geared for EXPO 2020 Dubai next year, we will seize the opportunity to showcase to the entire world our best potential across all fronts.
"We will show to the whole world that our country has become a role model for development and progress. We will spare no efforts to advancing our country and will never hesitate to transfer our experience and knowledge to our brothers and friends.
"On our National Day, I extend my greetings to my brother President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and my brother His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
"And I assure all UAE people that our achievements in 2020 will outpace those made in 2019 and will bring us closer to achieving the ambitious goals of the UAE Vision 2021."
