Optimistic view of a prosperous new year

The year 2020 was a long and challenging year for most of us, with the contribution of large numbers of heroes who have worked and continue to work tirelessly to limit the effects of the "pandemic".

We saw courageous heroes from all sectors, doing their best, and contributing with all their strength, to protect the health and safety of others.

With the start of the new year, we are all looking forward to 2021 that will bring us progress and prosperity, as we prepare to celebrate the golden jubilee of the United Arab Emirates.

We are united by great optimism about our common future, and our certainty that life will never return to the way it was. We do not want it to be so, because we are always working on change for the better.

In the midst of these exceptional circumstances that swept the world, the pandemic carried with it a state of clarity and a wealth of experiences, and there is no doubt that we will miss the opportunity if we return to life as we lived before the pandemic, without giving enough appreciation for what the heroes offered us, who put their health and safety at risk in The way to protect the lives of every member of the United Arab Emirates.

During the year 2021 and the following years, the "Pride of the Nation" office will continue to work on overcoming challenges, not only by listening to the needs and aspirations of our heroes working in the first line of defense, but also by creating the best possible opportunities and conditions in order to allow us all to celebrate them and make sure that They have a voice that helps build a better tomorrow.

Therefore, we call on all government agencies, companies and social support groups to show solidarity with us, and to stand by our side, to work hand in hand to develop new programs that support the heroes working on the front lines.

The Office of "Pride of the Nation" will continuously work to achieve and implement its tasks, which are to provide the necessary and sustainable solutions at the state level to ensure a prosperous and stable future for our heroes in the first line of defense, through the many upcoming initiatives that we will work to launch, because our first and last goal is to work to meet The basic requirements for these heroes and their families within many fields, such as: higher education, mental and psychological health, housing, and health care.

When the "Pride of the Nation" office was established in July, by a federal decree, headed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates, two essential things became evident before us: The first is that we have to grant The necessary appreciation for our heroes working in the first line of defense and their families, and to celebrate them and to provide them with all support in every way available to us.

We need to know the conditions and challenges they face when asked to put their lives at risk in the greater interest of all members of society.

Therefore, it flashed you that we need to show solidarity together so that we can all contribute to relieving the pressures placed on them, and enabling them to provide the services that we require from them in the best way.

The second imperative is that we need continuous investment in the emergency and disaster management network, its development and training of workers on it, so that we are always ready to respond and provide the necessary protection in all types of potential emergencies.

While working on establishing the "Pride of the Nation" office, we started by listening and learning.

We wanted to communicate directly with the workers on the first line of defense to find out from them the challenges and pressures they face, and what we can do to reduce these burdens.

We relied on partnerships that have become an essential part of the principle on which the office is based, because we saw a wonderful opportunity to harness the power and expertise of a wide and enormous range of resources within the government, business community and social services sector in the country, to provide immediate support to the heroes in the first line of defense while making at the same time the investment In a sustainable network of emergency preparedness and response.

We recently launched the "Jaheziya" initiative, with the aim of strengthening capacities through an internationally trusted training program for emergency and disaster management that follows international standards in emergency and crisis medicine.

We have worked to develop this training initiative in partnership with the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak volunteering program, as well as with a group of the most prominent institutions specialized in responding to disasters and crises in the United States and the United Kingdom.

The program will provide reliable care and an internationally accredited certificate that will contribute to supporting the ability of the United Arab Emirates to maintain a network of specialists, experienced and qualified to protect our country and people in the face of any future emergency.

The many partnerships that we launched contributed to meeting the challenges mentioned by those working on the first line of defense, for example:

With the Emirates Foundation and the Ministry of Community Development, we launched a new innovative initiative to support mental health, which addressed one of the top priorities that the first line of defense heroes told us they needed.

- Together with the Ministry of Education, we launched the “Hayyakum” initiative, to provide scholarships to more than 2,000 children of workers in the first line of defense that extend throughout their education in the United Arab Emirates.

With Daman, we launched a program of 20 million dirhams to upgrade health insurance for 10,000 people working in the lowest-income first line of defense, and their families, in addition to providing mental health insurance coverage for 2,500 professionals.

By launching partnerships with a wide range of institutions and bodies, including the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Etisalat, du, tourism authorities in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain, and the National Program for Behavioral Rewards - Fazaa, we have introduced a variety of initiatives.

These programs help ensure the health and safety of workers on the first line of defense, secure a decent life for them and their families, enable them to stay in contact with their families in the UAE and abroad, and grant them a range of benefits and rewards, in appreciation of their dedication and commitment to serving the UAE.

Usually, during the most difficult times, we have the opportunity to find out what makes us a cohesive and united society.

We have seen actions that reflect the goodness of the UAE community and times when friends, neighbors and strangers are in solidarity, to support and help one another.

No other place can witness the resilience, commitment and courage better provided by the more than 90,000 specialists and volunteers in our first line of defense, who worked hard and exposed themselves to dangers in order to protect us, ensure a better life and a brighter future for all members of our community.

Thanks to the achievements of these national heroes, we are ready to enter the year 2021, and celebrate the golden jubilee of the founding of the United Arab Emirates with great optimism for the future.

With hard work and strong will, we are ready to realize the ambitious vision set by the wise leadership in the UAE for the next fifty years for this great country.

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