EDA Co-Founder’s Note

THE YEAR OF THE 50th

Ibrahim Al-Zu'bi | Co-Founder & Executive Director

What an honour it is to be celebrating the Year of the 50th which commemorates the nation’s remarkable journey from 1971 towards the next transformative years that lies ahead for the next 50!

The activities marking the UAE’s Golden Jubilee will be built on the following four pillars:

• Launching the ‘Year of the 50th’ with a festive spirit that engages all those who call the UAE their home.

• Calling upon all UAE nationals to contemplate the values and achievements of the past in honour of the UAE’s Founding Fathers.

• Inspiring youths with their vision of the next 50 years, and supporting them in their national achievements. · Championing long-term initiatives and impactful policies to empower citizens and residents to do their part.

As we celebrate the UAE’s 50th National Day this year –The UAE’s Golden Jubilee, we reflect on the spirit that ties us all together, the Spirit of the Union that enables millions of people to coexist and build our lives together. The Spirit of the Union is derived from the vision and leadership of the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, EDA’s founder, which now lives on through His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and his fellow leaders of the nation’s Emirates who are shaping the UAE’s future.

I look back at this year to when we were officially registered as a voluntary non-profit organisation under the umbrella of the Ministry of Community Development and elected our new board members to lead us on for the next four years where we will establish EDA as a cornerstone for the underwater world in the UAE and region.

Making a difference goes beyond protecting the environment and marine conservation, although as you will read in this issue, our divers have been busy organising clean-ups and awareness campaigns. I am very happy to see more activities by different community stakeholders such as the school awareness sessions.

I would like to wish everyone a happy 50th UAE National Day. I also want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I am looking forward to 2022, which I am sure will be an exciting, fun, and rewarding year ahead.

Happy reading and safe diving!

Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi