'Unity, clear strategy make UAE a model in virus response'

Dubai - The UAE has become a pioneering model and its achievements are being witnessed by all regionally and globally.

While Covid-19 ravaged several countries around the world, the UAE has shown that unity and a clear strategy could help contain its repercussions, a senior official has said.
Obaid Rashid Al Shamsi, director-general of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), hailed the country's response to the pandemic in his speech for International Day for Disaster Reduction on Tuesday.
"On International Day for Disaster Reduction, we are proud to be among the ranks of developed nations in our response to crises," he said. "The UAE has become a pioneering model and its achievements are being witnessed by all regionally and globally."
He went on to say that having a strategy that relies on communication and coordination - with no room for rivalry, opposition or dissonance - has allowed the UAE to rise above Covid-triggered challenges.
Al Shamsi also noted that "despite this storm that hit all countries", the UAE has proven its effective handling of the crisis by strengthening work between government and non-government bodies, pulling together a national effort to manage the pandemic. "This created a path which led to safety, so that the UAE society was able to enjoy peace and stability."
He stressed that this success was achieved not only through government efforts but also with the help of the community, which has shown that they, too, are responsible in dealing with the crisis.

• Abu Dhabi