Dubai: Next year, 2020, has been announced to be the year of getting ready for the next 50 years in the UAE. UAE’s 50th anniversary falls in 2021, marking 50 years since the historic union of the emirates.
In a series of tweets His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai made the announcement and said: “Brothers and sisters. The UAE is approaching its fiftieth anniversary in 2021 and we want it to be the year of fresh-starts and new-beginnings,. We will celebrate our country’s 50th anniversary and launch into another fifty. We will get ready for that in 2020. Next year will be the year of preparation for great strides”.
In another tweet, Sheikh Mohammed added: “Today, we announce 2020 to be the Year of Getting Ready for UAE’s 50th Anniversary. We will develop our plans, projects and thinking. 50 years ago, our founding fathers designed our lives today. So, we want next year to design the future of generations to come in the next fifty years”.
He stressed that 2020 will be the year of making great strides in the economic sector, in education, in infrastructure, in the health sector and in the media. “We will convey the UAE story to the world. In 2020, we will build the future of the UAE, working as one team in the spirit of the union, in the spirit of Zayed and with a spirit that loves top positions and renaissance”.
"I was there in 1970..."
“In 2020, we will work together, Emiratis and residents, in all sectors... We are united and we can change the equations. We can raise expectations... We want 2020’s atmosphere to be similar to that of in 1970 when our founding fathers and their teams were preparing to embark on a new stage and new life” the Vice President said.
He went on to say “I was there in 1970, the year of creating the union and will also be there in 2020, overseeing the team shaping the next fifty. There will be two committees. The first one will be chaired by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed and will be tasked with mapping out the development plan of the next 50 years. The other committee will include Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed and Sheikha Mariam Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed to oversee the celebratory activities of the country’s Golden Jubilee”.
“We are one team working in one spirit. We are fully optimistic that we have a promising future ahead,” Sheikh Mohammed concluded.
Meanwhile, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, also declared 2020 to be the year of getting ready for the country’s 50th anniversary and then the next 50 years.
On his twitter page, Sheikh Mohamed said: “Today, I launched with my brother Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid the biggest national strategy for next year 2020. It will be the year of getting ready for the UAE’s 50th anniversary. It will be a red-letter year, during which we will make great strides economically, socially and developmentally aiming to be the best in the world in fifty years”.
“Such a special year requires synergy of all societal efforts to drive and sustain development and achieve our aspirations for a better future. We derive our strength from our history, our founding fathers’ approach, and from the determination and resolve of Emirati people,” Sheikh Mohamed added.
He went on to say: “In the next fifty years, ... we will prepare all sectors for the post-oil phase, build a real knowledge economy based on innovation, creativity and modern science, and leave our imprint on the human civilization march. We will lay solid foundations to sustain development for future generations”.
The 50-year development plan committee
Sheikh Mohammed directed the formation of a committee to build a development plan for the next 50 years.
The committee, chaired by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan with Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi as his deputy, will be tasked with preparing a comprehensive development plan across the UAE and developing the government administrative system with aims to make the UAE the fastest and most flexible and adaptable government to future changes.
The committee is also tasked with involving all segments of the society in shaping life in the UAE for the next 50 years.
It will draw a new economic map for the UAE and developing exceptional projects and policies to make giant leaps in the national economy. It will also work on cementing the soft power of the UAE and establishing media systems to share the country’s new story with the world, bringing economic and social returns that protect its gains and enhance opportunities in the new economy.
Among the committee’s responsibilities is developing vital sectors including health, education, housing, transport and food security across the country to increase future readiness.
The committee will also develop a comprehensive vision of the UAE society in the next 50 years that adapts demographics, family life and cultural identity to a rapidly-changing world.
Part of its responsibilities involve fostering the values of productivity and passion for progress to prepare the new generation for challenges and aspirations of the country in the next 50 years.
Golden Jubilee celebrations committee
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid issued directives to form a committee tasked with overseeing Golden Jubilee preparations.
The committee, chaired by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his deputy Sheikha Mariam bint Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will manage and organize exceptional celebrations to mark the significant milestone in the history of the UAE.
The committee will be tasked with governing the Emirates’ Golden Jubilee celebrations, developing a comprehensive preparation plan and forming teams to organize events and activities to mark the country’s 50th anniversary in 2021. It will also involve all segments of the society in the preparations for the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Part of the committee’s tasks will also include involving the private sector in the preparation and execution of exceptional celebrations to mark the Golden Jubilee and developing plans to strengthen the global outreach and impact of the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
The committee will compile a record of the country’s achievements since the federation and preserving these records for future generations. It will also involve embassies across the country in the preparations and executions of the Golden Jubilee celebrations to promote the UAE’s global image.
The committee’s responsibilities involve setting comprehensive mechanisms to coordinate events and activities of the Golden Jubilee celebrations on the federal and local level, developing local and international media plans to share the UAE’s journey of 50 years and invite regional and global media to take part in the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
