Events

Mohammed launches 'Noor Dubai' initiative

Sheikh Mohammed during the launch

In the name of God the Most Gracious and Most Merciful,

I congratulate you on this month of Ramadan, a month of blessing and faith.

I pray that God gives us the strength to perform our sacred duties in this Holy Month towards ourselves, our people, our nation and all mankind.

Brothers and Sisters,

We are starting our annual journey of faith in which we seek to achieve the greatest levels of contemplation and spiritual bond with God Almighty through fasting, praying, and charity.

Ramadan is indeed a month of generosity and compassion. The people of the UAE have a long tradition of compassion and charity particularly during this holy period when they earnestly seek to be closer to God.

It is inherent of the Emirati people to do what they can to support those that are most in need. This is a crucial tenet of the Islamic principles that advocate social equality. Our religious duties extend beyond the pillars of our faith and include the values of loyalty, honesty, and service of land and nation.

Brothers and Sisters,

When I announced Dubai Cares last year I was confident of its success. However, the incredible support of the people of Dubai exceeded all expectations and touched me beyond compare.

As you may remember, the goal set for Dubai Cares was to provide primary education to one million children. To date, in less than one year, Dubai Cares has provided education to over 4 million children in 13 countries across Africa and Asia.

Today, Dubai Cares represents the UAE's contribution to a global drive to fulfill the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals for education. A well recognized and respected NGO, Dubai Cares joins the ranks of established, global humanitarian champions, united in their commitment of helping needy children the world over to overcome the obstacles that continue to thwart their development.

This great success has demonstrated the depth of the culture of the Emirati people and their resident guests, and their ability to influence the region and the world around them.

Brothers and Sisters,

You are our partners in this great achievement and you will be rewarded accordingly by God Almighty. What you have given has helped millions of children and their families, offering them hope for a better life.

I want to thank all those involved in making Dubai Cares a success.

Today, at the beginning of this Holy Month, I am pleased to announce a personal initiative that aims to relieve the pain of millions in our region and around the world; the pain of all those forgotten in the fog of war and conflict and in the crises of market instability.

We are part of one community divided only by those of us who have and those of us that have not. We owe it to our needy brothers and sisters to reach out and lend our support to help them overcome their challenges and suffering. Our message to them is: we will not ignore you. We will lead the mobilization of the international community to act on this global challenge.

Brothers and Sisters,

Nearly 153 million people are visually impaired due to uncorrected refractive errors (near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism). In most cases, normal vision can be restored with eyeglasses or contact lenses.

It has been corroborated that 90% of the world's visually impaired live in developing countries, including all Arab and Muslim countries.

According to the World Health Organization, 75% of blindness is treatable and/or preventable.

It has also been projected that without effective intervention, the number of blind people worldwide has been projected to increase to 76 million by 2020.

Another major challenge is caused by a Vitamin A deficiency, which is a prevalent cause of preventable blindness in children, with an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children annually becoming blind due to this nutritional deficiency.

We will not and cannot remain idle.

Therefore, I am proud to announce the launch of the 'Noor Dubai' initiative as a gift from the UAE to the world and from the people of the UAE to their fellow brothers and sisters who are in need of help and hope.

This initiative is inspired by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the UAE. He leads by example through his work and tireless effort, and guides us not to ignore the plight of the needy in the developing world, but rather support them in combating the challenges and obstacles they face.

Noor Dubai is our latest effort demonstrating Dubai's continued commitment to being a responsible global citizen and to helping our less fortunate brethren.

This is an ambitious initiative which aims to deliver preventive eye care to over 1 million people as part of its drive to realize its vision of a world free from curable forms of blindness.

Noor meaning 'light' will pledge to bring light to millions of people whose lives are threatened by a world of darkness.

Just as Dubai Cares has become a beacon of hope and inspiration to the international community, let us all come together to collectively work to ensure Noor Dubai becomes another beacon of hope and light.

Thank you.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008