Looking to the future with optimism, says Sheikh Khalifa
President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has called on the people of the UAE to look to the future with optimism and contribute with ideas and visions that will help the country achieve further progress across all sectors.
On the occasion of the UAE’S 49th National Day, President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, in a statement to Nation Shield, the UAE Armed Forces magazine, said that while the nation prepares to celebrate its Golden Jubilee in 2021, the nation’s sons and daughters should be ready to welcome the next 50 years with future visions “that will prepare our country for more development across all sectors, so that by year 2071, the UAE will become the first in the world in global indicators for well-being, happiness and quality of life.”
“Looking to the future with optimism, anticipating its horizons, and pre-planning its paths is an authentic Emirati approach,” he added.
The President also paid tribute to the nation’s frontline workers in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. He said, “We extend our deepest appreciation to the dedicated workers; for a crisis well managed, for a decisive handling of the pandemic, for the preservation of the nation’s security, for the protection of its economy, for safeguarding the wellbeing of its community, and for ensuring the continuity of the educational process.”
Addressing the nation’s citizens, His Highness said, “I, and on behalf of my brothers, Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and the Rulers of the Emirates, deeply congratulate you as you welcome the new year with great optimism, a year that will conclude with the Golden Jubilee of the declaration of our Union; while preparing at the same time to welcome the next 50 years with future visions that will ready our country for more development across all sectors. Therefore, by year 2071, the UAE will become the first in the world in global indicators for well-being, happiness and quality of life.
“Looking to the future with optimism, anticipating its horizons, and pre-planning its paths is an authentic Emirati approach for which the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan laid the foundations with his brothers, the Founding Fathers,” he added.
President Khalifa expressed pride in the achievements of the UAE as it celebrates the 49th anniversary of its establishment, saying the country serves as a “model” for progress and sustainable development and sets an example with its values of tolerance, coexistence, openness and rejection of hatred; as well as for the justice, equality, security, well-being and prosperity it provides to its citizens.
His Highness stressed that building the future is paramount and that creating a successful future requires a clear vision, an early anticipation of opportunities and challenges, and the courage in decision-making.
As part of “our project for designing the next 50 years, some of the decisions we took included the renaming of ministries, merging some, and creating new ones,” he explained, in addition to appointing state ministers to focus on areas of utmost importance for the future; which include government development, scientific research, advanced technology and artificial intelligence, smart systems and the digital economy.
Other areas the President said the country is focusing on developing the applications that support remote work, renewable energy, food security, women empowerment and youth protection, as well as nurturing a future generation of qualified Emiratis, and atracting high-calibre foreign talent.
His Highness said the country has taken “accelerated steps” in the fields of nuclear and renewable energy by operating the Barakah plant for the production of peaceful nuclear energy. Furthermore, the UAE has also secured a leading position in the space sector by launching Hope Probe to Mars, the President said, “as we also set out to build future frameworks for health, education, infrastructure, energy, transportation, services, and entrepreneurship.”