Abu Dhabi, 1 Dec. 2009 (WAM) - H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed AL Nahyan, Rulers Representative in the Western Region and Chairman of Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), stated that UAE transformed during the past four decades into a modern state occupying a prominent status locally and internationally. UAE also gained the respect of the world community because of its significant achievements in various fields.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan emphasized, in his speech on the occasion of the UAEs 38th National Day, said that UAE experienced substantial shifts within the context of the clear vision, the prudent leadership and the approach continued during the reign of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE, to build a modern state protecting the unity of its people, reaching its great ambitions towards progress and development, preserving its ancient heritage and legacies in addition to achieving sustainable development socially, economically and environmentally.

He said that UAE witnessed a great development in the establishment of environmental institutions and in increasing the number of the trained cadres working in the environment field in addition to laying environmental legislations, standards and specifications to reduce pollution, as well as conducting strategies and environmental action plans to maintain and exploit natural resources in a sustainable manner, with a clear interest in preserving biodiversity, marine and wild life, water resources and its type, air quality, dangerous chemicals and waste management, as well as encouraging cleaner production methods and using environment friendly technologies along with establishing natural reserves.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan stated that within the framework of this interest, the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi sought to support this governmental direction through conducting policies and strategies to help the governmental and private institutions to integrate environmental considerations with the planning and implementation of projects to serve sustainable development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

His Highness confirmed that the Agency was and still carrying the local and national responsibility related to providing real environmental security. In this sense, the agency faced many important environmental issues at the state level. The most important of which is the issuance of the first State of Environment of the Abu Dhabi Emirate that covers various fields in addition to releasing the first governmental sustainability report at the level of the Arab World adopted by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in Amsterdam.

The Agency exerted active efforts in the field of protecting the environment, the most prominent of which is the activation of the sustainable construction in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and adopting the development clean mechanism in the implementation of the projects and the evaluation of the environmental effect of all the developmental projects before licensing them, in addition to the use of sustainable renewable resources and energies as well as leading an initiative of applying an integrated system for environment, health and safety at the level of the emirate in cooperation with the concerned authorities.

The Agency also conducted programs to protect endangered animals such as turtles, dugongs, oryxes along with Houbara Bustards breeding program. The issuance of further legislations is considered a complementary to the efforts exerted for the state protection in the field of regulating grazing and wild hunting.

The Agency also conducted studies and researches related to the development of water resources and the means of protecting them. Besides, there are studies on the artificial recharge of water in natural ground reservoirs, as well as the studies on the treatment and reuse of sewage water to ease the pressure on the ground reservoirs that have been affected significantly due to the increasing pumping rates which led to lower water levels and salinity. The Agency also issue Uniform Plumbing Code Abu Dhabi (UPC-AD) and a Guide for Water Supply and Sanitation for the Emirate. In addition a Strategic Water Master Plan for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi has recently developed by EAD and its partners and adopted by the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan also referred to the efforts of the Agency in the field of the environmental health in the region including identifying the environmental risks, knowing their impact on health and proposing policies, programs and plans of joint action. Sheikh Hamdan also stressed that this strategy will contribute in conducting action priorities in the UAE to control the environmental pollutants.

His Highness also confirmed that the Agency gives a great attention to the environmental awareness in the field of reserving the natural resources and increasing the efficiency of using power as well as rationalizing its usage through the media programs and the school syllabus, such as the Sustainable Schools Initiative (Al Madaris Al Mustadama) aiming at enhancing the level of environmental awareness among the students and teachers through positive environmental practices to decrease the environmental footprint especially in the field of water, energy, air and wastes.

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan stated that such efforts made the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and UAE lead the region in the field of protecting environment confirming its leading role and significant status in the International Community.

His Highness also emphasized that within the context of the developmental shift witnessed in Abu Dhabi through the great economic and social development, we should keep our environment clean and our resources sustainable to leave a rich heritage for the coming generation because this is one of the great strategic challenges. Thus, we try strongly to make the sustainable development our general framework which governs all the developmental efforts. We work together with our main partners and encourage them to let the sustainable management adopt a new administrative concept based on the sustainable development. Besides, the ambitious strategic vision of the government of Abu Dhabi to be amongst the best five governments in the world is the other face of the coin that draws the features of the next phase and sets the strategic frame of our work.

Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.