By Alim Jalloh
His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio on the 13 January 2020 attended the opening ceremony of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, which brought the world’s sustainability community together and set the agenda for the discussions and debate for the week.
In his opening statement, His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, said that UAE would continue its vital role in uniting efforts to find solutions to the major challenges facing the world today, adding that it was time to chart a common path to building a promising and sustainable future for all.
“Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week reflects the UAE’s leading position as a strong supporter of global sustainability initiatives and has transformed into a global platform that catalyses sustainable strategies and real-world solutions to help drive human progress,” he said.
The theme for this year’s meeting is “Accelerating Sustainable Development” and the ceremony was attended by about 4,000 delegates, including world leaders, senior policy makers, business leaders, scientists to academics.
President Bio was in the midst of several world leaders including H.E Frank Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji, H.E Danny Faure, President of the Seychelles, H.E Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, H.E Armen Sarkissian, President of Armenia, H.E Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia, H.E Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda and H.E Ana Brnabic, Prime Minister of Serbia.
The day’s ceremony was also held alongside the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards event, where His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio was honoured to present one of the awards. The Zayed Sustainability Prize is a tribute to the legacy of the founding father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a pioneering champion of global sustainability and humanitarianism. The Prize recognises and rewards organisations and high schools that demonstrate impactful, innovative and inspiring sustainability solutions.
