19th Ramadan: Zayed Humanitarian Day

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered changing the name of the UAE Humanitarian Day to Zayed Humanitarian Day - in a tribute to the founding father of the UAE the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

Addressing the event held last evening for the first time at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Sheikh Mohammed paid homage to Sheikh Zayed and recollected his deeds, including humanitarian initiatives.

The evening, which also saw an Iftar banquet, was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, Speaker of the Federal National Council, Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group, Sheikh Majed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, sheikhs, dignitaries and senior officials.

Below is the text of Sheikh Mohammed's speech:

Brothers and sisters, I offer my greetings to on these auspicious days and on this particular day, the 19th day of the holy month of Ramadan which marks the 9th anniversary of the death of the founding father and leading philanthropist the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan which we proclaimed as the Humanitarian Day for the UAE to commemorate Sheikh Zayed's spirit of giving and to promote the Emirati culture of giving, the foundation of which he had laid.

The UAE Humanitarian Day which we announed during the cabinet meeting on the 41st anniverasy of the National Day, is an annual event in which we recall with pride the life of the founding father and we plan ahead a new year of Emirati humanitarian work to promote the UAE as a global capital for humanitarian works.

Brothers and sisters, Sheikh Zayed's name has become synonymous with generosity and giving, not only in the UAE, but in the whole world. The late Sheikh Zayed never liked talking about what he gave. He was loved and cherished by the people of the world.

I was privileged to work closely with Sheikh Zayed and to learn from him. He loved people and his life was full of giving and generosity. Sheikh Zayed has left us but his deeds talk volumes about him. He was like the knight who rushes when he hears a cry for help. His legacy is living in the memory of our country and other countries. One can never forget his stands with the people of Palestine that translated into residential, educational and health projects, his firm position on the leading Arab cause, his support to the victims of the humanitarian plight in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the cities he built in Egypt, Morocco, Pakistan and other countries, the hospitals, the schools and the orphanages in tens of Asian and African countries.

He used to be moved when natural disasters strike poor countries and that's why the UAE has always been among the first countries to reach out in times of trial. This has our earned the country respect of the world. The UAE has become a global humanitarian hub and importantly, the source of admiration, thanks to Sheikh Zayed.

You can build strong government-to-government relations based on joint interests, but you cannot earn love of the people of the world easily. This requires a historic leader with exceptional qualities.

The greatest legacy the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan left us is the love and appreciation of the world to the UAE and its people. We are proud of Sheikh Zayed anhd when people talk about history, we talk about him. We can see today that President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is following the steps of his father, continuing a great march started by Sheikh Zayed, supported by his brothers and followed by his loyal people in giving.

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is an extension to Sheikh Zayed in his generosity and willing to give. A man with a great heart and plenty of deeds.

Thanks to Allah the Almighty, the government and people of the UAE have managed to turn humanitarian works into a system that follows best administrative and financial practices to sustain the sense of sharing and to guarantee that humanitarian assistance reach all those who are in need. Importantly, we created the Ministry of Development and International Cooperation to enhance provision of assistance through various levels of international cooperation.

Brothers and sisters, The best way to commemorate the great deeds of the late Sheikh Zayed is to always remember that he built and prepared educated, ambitious and open minded people. I say to the people of the UAE, you are all sons and daughters of Sheikh Zayed. You are the people of generosity and good. We want that good to be an inseparable part of our culture which we pass to our new generations. We want the UAE to continue its lead in stretching a helping hand to the needy and to praise Allah the Almighty for enabling us to do so.

We have issued our directives to mark 19th of Ramadan as a UAE Humanitarian Day because it is the death anniversary of the leader and pioneer of humanitarian work.

To continue the legacy of Sheikh Zayed, we need to follow his steps. We will keep launching humanitarian initiatives and the more we give, the more Allah the Almighty will reward us with stability, security and prosperity.

Documentary

The evening has started by verses of Holy Quran, followed by a documentary film. The film narrates the humanitarian and charitable work of the late Sheikh Zayed, which spread outside the country and the Arab world in addition to the wise leadership's follow up for his approach, including the provision of humanitarian and charitable aid by the Emirati charitable and national institutions worldwide in order to curb the natural disasters and displaced people due to wars.

During the evening, organised by the General Secretariat of the Cabinet, the Vice President received a number of appreciation certificates from the United Nations, where he received a thank and appreciation certificate from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, delivered by UN Resident Representative Sayed Agha and from UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos and was delivered by Khalid Khalifa, Director of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Gulf (OCHA).

Sheikh Mohammed also received an appreciation certificate from the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin.

He added that our country is distinguished with developing charitable work and it is a pioneer in that field, referring to the role and initiatives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's initiatives such as: Dubai Cares, the The Dress One Million Needy Children campaign and other initiatives.

He also lauded all the humanitarian and charitable initiatives, launched by the UAE institutions and people, not only at the government and private sectors, but at the community level as well.

The Beginning

The Cabinet approved, in its meeting dated November 27th, 2012 on the occasion of the 41st National Day, a set of national initiatives to commemorate Sheikh Zayed and the founding fathers, one of these initiatives is to dedicate the 19th day of Ramadan, which marks the death anniversary of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as "Emirati Humanitarian Work Day" in recognition of his role in founding the UAE's humanitarian march.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai  said, "It was from the Union House it started, and from here we renew the march. We haven't gathered here to commemorate the memories. We are here to renew our resolve, to sharpen our energies and to recall the spirit of the big ambition that the founding fathers cherished. We are here to remember the great vision that led to the birth of a country, which could consolidate its global place during forty-one years. It is with the same spirit and the same great ambition we can proceed with confidence and strength towards the future".

He continued, "The most important characteristic of the founding fathers and the most important lesson we learned from them is that the citizen is the priority, and we should give importance to building humans before building edifices. The approach of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is that the citizen comes first, second and third. As we move further ahead according to this approach, we say that the achievements of 2013 will surpass the achievements of 2012 and each year is better than the preceding one. So there is no place for laziness or reluctance in achieving the ambitions of our people. We announce today from this place that the year 2013 will be a year of creating jobs for UAE nationals, that will be a national priority for which all efforts must unite".
 
Sheikh Mohammed said: "The spirit of the Union is to work as a single team in accordance with a unified vision and well-defined goals, and naturally the achievements will take place. May I remind you of a very famous saying of our beloved father, the late Sheikh Zayed, who said, 'The human being will perish, the wealth will perish, the nation and our services in the cause of the nation will remain'."

The cabinet also approved a number of national initiatives, the first of which was to declare year 2013 as the year of creating jobs for UAE nationals. The Cabinet also approved the "Charter of Values and Conduct of the UAE National" which aims to raise a national generation who are aware of their responsibilities and duties towards the nation, family and community.

The new charter defines Emirati citizenship, its dimensions, features, major characteristics, conduct, values and skills which a national should uphold. The charter aims to develop a general and clearly-defined frame for Emirati character to reflect its unique culture and connection to its values, traditions, heritage and its religion, Islam. This general frame could be used in different educational and cultural spheres.

The Cabinet also approved a number of initiatives related to the dedication of the UAE National Union Day. These include the construction of the Union Museum at Union House to document the history of the Union, its milestones and major figures for the coming generations. The museum will feature documents, pictures, photos and materials and other resources which will document the history of the Union and its milestones, creating a reference source for researchers, all those interested in the history of the Union as well as for nationals and visitors of the UAE.

In the same context, the Cabinet also approved a resolution giving directives to the Ministry of Education to integrate the History of the Founding Fathers in the national curricula at schools in order to inspire lessons from their march for development and immortalise their works and achievements which, over just a few years, have given the UAE its current international stature.
 
As part of efforts to promote the UAE national identity at universities, the Cabinet gave directives to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to introduce "Emirati Studies" as a compulsory subject for graduation from all national and private universities. The new compulsory subject shall include studies on the UAE's history, social culture, terrains, geography, laws and regulations as well as studies that are specific to society in the UAE.

Regarding the inauguration of "Emirati Humanitarian Work Day" in recognition of Sheikh Zayed's role, Sheikh Mohammed said, "Zayed is the source of giving and generosity. He is the one who planted the love of selfless giving among his people. The man who is credited with this  surplus must be remembered on this day. The best way to remember him is to remind ourselves of his compassion, giving and generosity which benefited all with no discrimination and which made the UAE a global humanitarian hub for giving".

The Emirati Humanitarian Work Day includes the launch of various initiatives by government and private institutions in honour of the occasion, and at the beginning of the month of Ramadan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid launched a campaign to clothe one million deprived children around the world.
 
The campaign continued until 19th of Ramadan, which marks the ninth anniversary of the death of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. On the occasion of the initiative launch, Sheikh Mohammed emphasised that goodness and giving have become a consistent legacy marked by the goodness of the Emirates in the course of its distinguished humanitarian march to support underprivileged people. Sheikh Mohammed said, "The Holy Month of Ramadan is an exceptional opportunity to celebrate the values of goodness, giving and cooperation, which increases the importance of launching social and charitable constructive initiatives during the month, especially those initiatives in which the people of the UAE can share and collaborate.

His Highness added that "since the founding of the UAE by the late Sheikh Zayed and the late Sheikh Rashid, the march of generosity did not stop, because the founders built this country on the basis of giving and helping needy people. Zayed was the source of giving, he was the teacher and the one who inspired the generous people of the UAE, who are an ideal example of efforts and generosity that knows no bounds, and no discrimination." Sheikh Mohammed said that Ramadan is an opportunity, like other religious occasions, to extend a helping hand to the less privileged, especially children, because they are in need of sympathy and care. The importance of the campaign, is to draw a smile and put happiness on the faces of these underprivileged children.

He added, "In the UAE, we have a tradition of goodness, to extend a helping hand to disadvantaged groups in different parts of the world, especially the poor and needy, as well as disadvantaged children regardless of color and race. The spirit of giving is a characteristic of Zayed's sons and daughters, it is a culture which is deeply rooted in our community." The initiative aims to collect donations during the Holy Month of Ramadan to supply clothing for 1,000,000 deprived children around the world and support them in the difficult circumstances in which they live.

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