Dubai: The 21st cycle of the nationwide campaign, the “Clean UAE” reached its 4th stop – the Emirate of Dubai. The campaign is being held under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and in association with the Ministry of Community Development.
With the success of the previous stops in Ajman, Fujairah, and Sharjah, EEG opened 4 sites at the Saih Al Salam on December 10th in collaboration with the Dubai Municipality, Management of Saih Al Salam Protected area, and Dubai Economy & Tourism. These sites covered a stretch of 10 KM2 that was divided into 4 sites.
The launching of the campaign this year coincided with International Volunteer Day and the continuation of the UAE national day celebrations. It witnessed huge participation from various segments of society who came together to present a beautiful image of the UAE’s diverse society. More than 6,300 volunteers flocked in the early hours of the morning to the Saih Al Salam Area where the campaign was being held.
The opening ceremony was held in the presence of and the active participation of Ms. Mariam Al Mheiri – Member of the UAE Cabinet and Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, the Chairperson, Vice Chair & Executive Committee Members of EEG. The event also witnessed the presence of several officials from the Government and Private sector organisations.
Ms. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Stated that “Volunteerism reflects our values in the UAE, and has seen an impressive uptake as an important social practice to give back to the community. We perceive the work of volunteers as an integral part of our efforts to protect the environment and sustain its natural resources, as it raises public awareness of the importance of our fragile ecosystems and engages a wider community in conserving them, in line with the objectives of the government. The ‘Clean UAE’ campaign is a shining example of community engagement in a noble mission.”
The Minister noted that the UAE Cabinet has approved the ‘Clean UAE’ campaign to foster the spirit of volunteerism in the UAE community. Launched on International Volunteer Day, the 10-day campaign aims to enhance the role of federal government employees as well as the general public in cleaning up tourist destinations across the country in line with the World’s Coolest Winter campaign and to support environmental work and the preparations for the 28th UN Climate Conference, set to take place in the UAE in November 2023.
The Minister commended EEG for organising the campaign and for its valuable contributions to environmental protection.
Adorning campaign t-shirts and caps, equipped with reusable cotton gloves and biodegradable bags the participants cleaned an area of 10 KM2. A total of 11,300 KG of waste material was collected from the 4 sites; it was further segregated by the EEG team and the volunteers to remove the recyclables and the rest was handed over to the municipality for further processing and disposal. The segregated recyclable materials were then uploaded on EEG trucks and sent to the recycling facilities in the UAE.