Abu Dhabi, 21 March 05 (WAM) -- The successful spread of environmentalawareness that has reached into almost every classroom and sector of thecommunity in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has led Sheikh Hamdan bin ZayedAl Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Foreign Affairsand Deputy Chairman of the Environmental Research and Wildlife DevelopmentAgency (ERWDA), to issue a decree calling for the formation of a committeeto oversee all environmental awareness activities and programmes thatare to be implemented in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
The aim of the committee is to improve coordination and increase cooperationbetween the governmental and private environmental agencies that carryout these programmes and activities. It also aims to limit the duplicationof their efforts in environmental awareness in the Emirate.
Furthermore, the committee will become the main focal point for therelevant organizations where any activity or programme must get priorapproval by the committee before being implemented. At the beginning ofeach academic year, the committee shall set a comprehensive plan wherethe programmes will be spread out equally and vary in each part of theEmirate.
Moreover, at the end of the year, the committee would submita comprehensive report and include recommendations for progress in thefuture. The committee is also responsible for managing and evaluatingthe programmes, as well as seeking sponsorship for their realization.
The Committee is also charged with the training of trainers involved inenvironmental awareness as well as capacity building in this domain. The committee will be chaired by the Secretary General of ERWDA and willconsist of representatives from the Federal Environment Agency, the Ministryof Education, the Educational Zones of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the WesternRegion, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry of Economy andPlanning, Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Agriculture, AbuDhabi Water and Electricity Authority, ADNOC, Shell Abu Dhabi, EmiratesHeritage Club, Environmental Friends Society in Abu Dhabi, and ERWDA. The Committee may also consult with external experts on relevant matters. The decision to form a supervising committee came into being as a resultof ERWDA's achievements since 1996 in spreading environmental awarenessin Abu Dhabi. The Agency, which has won the Gulf Cooperation Council Award for BestEnvironmental Awareness Achievements for 2001/2002 as well as the firstprize in the youth category of the International Energy Globe Award for2004, stresses the significance of environmental awareness and says itfirmly believes that raising awareness on the fragility of our environmentis a crucial step towards its conservation.
