Sustainable development 'is focus of UAE policy'

Safeguarding the environment is a national duty, said President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the occasion of the 8th National Environment Day. He said the UAE had raised its previous ranking in the recently-issued 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index. This was achieved primarily through improved access to information, he said, adding that standards are expected to rise further as the country continues to exchange knowledge and expertise as time goes on. Sheikh Khalifa lauded the UAE's progress as being the result of a wide-ranging effort by several partners, including an integral role by the Federal Environment Agency. The following excerpts were part of Sheikh Khalifa's official comments for Environment Day:
"We stand here on February 4 every year to review our environmental strategy and reaffirm our desire to achieve our great ambitions in regard to the environment, which we are able to appreciate by God's will. This is important at a time when we are trying to develop our natural resources.
"On National Environment Day, we look back on what the UAE has accomplishment in every field. We look to the example of those who have made great contributions to our country so that we may learn from them and continue what they have begun. "The UAE has strived from the moment of its foundation to achieve a balance between social and economic factors to maintain the unique culture, society and environmental heritage of our land.