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All countries to celebrate UAE National Day as World Futures Day: Sheikh Mohammed

This international recognition of the UAE as a country for the future came thanks to its foresight and planning, the Dubai Ruler said

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The UAE’s National Day, December 2, will henceforth be known as World Futures Day.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has unanimously adopted the day, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted on Thursday.

Countries around the world will celebrate the day by planning for future generations.

This international recognition of the UAE as a country for the future came thanks to its foresight and planning, the Vice-President said.

“This places a greater responsibility on us to develop our capabilities and be a global model to anticipate the future, keep pace with changes and benefit from opportunities. Each year, our country gets bigger and better,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.

The UAE celebrates its National Day on December 2 every year. On this date in 1971, the Emirates' Rulers came together to form the UAE.

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This year will mark the 50th year of that union. To mark the Golden Jubilee, the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, declared 2021 as The Year of the 50th.

Audrey Azoulay, director-general of Unesco, said: “Covid has reminded us that we can and must change course. As new threats cast dark shadows on our present, we must harness the world's incredible diversity to imagine and build our futures collectively.

"This is the spirit of World Futures Day, through which Unesco, as the United Nations' intellectual and prospective agency, invites everyone to think about the future, in order to change the present."

Unanimous recognition

The adoption of World Futures Day came after a unanimous decision at the 41st session of Unesco's General Conference, which concluded on Wednesday, November, 24 in Paris. It came as part of the organisation’s efforts to strengthen the foresight capabilities of governments, and boost international collaboration to achieve a better future for humanity.

World Futures Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of developing a “futuristic mindset” to increase the readiness of governments in addressing pressing challenges, inventing new development solutions and promoting international dialogue on innovation.

It also aims to draw the attention to the importance of future readiness, enabling governments to adopt scientific tools that leads to sustainable development.

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