Dubai, UAE, 21 April 2016

HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, honoured Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) at the 18th Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance, held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The ceremony was attended by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, HH Sheikh Rashid bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, HH Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, HE Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award, HE Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DEWA, Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director General of Dubai Health Authority, HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, Dr. Jamal Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the Awards, Dr. Ali Al Qarni, Director General of Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, Dr. Alaa Abdul Bari, Vice President of the Arab League's Arab Academy for Maritime Transport, and a number of experts and educators from GCC and European universities.

The award was received by HE Matar Humaid Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of DEWA, and HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, with Khawla Al Mehairi, Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications at DEWA, and DEWA's Conservation Team in attendance.

Al Hammadi announced DEWA's winning the 18th Award in the Education Supporting Organisation category at a press conference at the Award's new headquarters in the Hudaiba Awards Building in Dubai. The conference was attended by HE Dr. Jamal Mohammed Al Muhairi, Secretary General of Award, Dr. Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Member of the Board of Trustees, and Chairman of the Central Arbitration Board of the Award, and Sulaiman Abdul Khaliq Al Ansari, Member of the Board of Trustees and CEO of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer thanked HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum for sponsoring the award, and for his efforts to develop education locally and internationally. Al Tayer commended the efforts of His Highness, his contribution, and his sponsorship of high-quality initiatives, to enhance the comprehensive educational system, and improve its innovative performance.

Al Tayer also commended the partnership between the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to reward distinguished practices and improve the performance of teachers, while developing their talents by encouraging positive competiveness and cooperation to build an excellent educational society.

"We are glad that DEWA won the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for distinguished Academic Performance. The awards have played a major role to improve education in all areas of the Ministry of Education since HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, launched the programme in 1998," said Al Tayer.

"Through its awareness programmes for the whole community, DEWA has widely contributed to the achievement of the goals of the long-term Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the UAE Vision 2021, to make the UAE one of the best countries in the world with a focus on preserving the environment. The Award also supports efforts to achieve the Dubai Plan 2021 to make Dubai a smart, integrated, and connected city whose resources are sustainable," added Al Tayer.

"DEWA's winning of the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance for one of its most important initiatives that support education in the UAE, is the Conservation Award that DEWA launched for 2005 to 2006, reflecting DEWA's commitment to raising awareness on the rational use of resources across the educational sector.

It also honours educational providers for their electricity and water conservation efforts, and highlights the achievements of individuals such as students, staff, faculty, members of the facility's management, and administration of the participating institutions. This ensures a brighter future for generations to come," said Al Tayer.

"The Conservation Award has achieved a lot of energy savings over the last ten years. DEWA has honoured 162 educational institutions and communicated the message of sustainability to 270,000 students. The total savings achieved by the educational institutions, students and faculty members in electricity consumption since the inception of the Awards is 125 GWh and 24 million gallons in water consumption. This contributed to reducing nearly 67,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, with financial savings worth AED 90 million," added Al Tayer.

Three teams won the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for distinguished academic performance, these included DEWA for its Conservation Award, Majid Al Futtaim Charity Foundation for its health awareness initiative, and the Ministry of Interior (MOI), who won the award for its initiative to develop youth skills.

-End-

For more information, please contact:
Ribal Dayekh or Noora Khoory      
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority 
+971 4 307 2006 or 515 1798 
ribal.dayekh@dewa.gov.ae 
noora.khoory@dewa.gov.ae 
          
Jessy Chami or Rawad Khattar
Orient Planet PR
+971 4 456 2888 or 055-8257576
jessy@orientplanet.com
rawad@orientplanet.com

© Press Release 2016