UAE Ambassador has overseen initiatives that benefited children, women and other vulnerable groups in Bangladesh.
As a senior diplomat with years of experience navigating complex foreign relations, His Excellency Abdulla Ali AlHmoudi, Ambassador of the UAE to Bangladesh, is passionate about the impact of climate change in the wider global community. During his tenure in Bangladesh, he has overseen various initiatives that benefited the local communities, including humanitarian support focusing on health, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, elderly persons and women, and an information drive on the importance of sustainability.
In a conversation with Yalla Abu Dhabi, the veteran diplomat talks about the Zayed Sustainability Prize, the Bangladeshi students who won the award this year, and how schools play a crucial role in promoting sustainability.
What is the Zayed Sustainability Prize and how can it present a positive global impact?
The Zayed Sustainability Prize is a pioneering global award presented by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that recognises and rewards impactful, innovative, and inspiring sustainable solutions from small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), nonprofit organisations (NPOs) and high schools. Since its inception in 2008, the Prize has been awarded to 106 winners who have positively impacted the lives of over 378 million people worldwide. It was inspired by the sustainability and humanitarian legacy of our Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
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As Ambassador to the UAE in Dhaka, how do you think the Bangladeshi students who won the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2023 can contribute to their local community’s future?
Scalability and replicability were important factors in getting the award. I believe the concept can be easily replicated in mass production at the national and last-mile community levels, which will greatly benefit the local communities. This year, Bangladesh has received two awards. Aside from the school category, LEDARS (Bangladesh) received the award in the Water Category. The non-profit organisation works to develop integrated water resource management models in disaster-prone areas specially Khulna and Satkhira where water becomes unusable due to salinity and flooding.
In what ways have the awarded students contributed to win?
The school’s project uses soil-based microorganisms to produce natural fertilisers and pesticides in order to help accelerate and boost crop production while completely avoiding the health-related effects of chemical use. The school’s goal is to provide microorganism-based seed and soil treatment chemicals, microbial biofertilisers, and biopesticides to over 2,000 farms across all 64 districts in Bangladesh, allowing them to produce healthier crops in less time. The project addresses the solution of discontinuing the use of a wide range of pesticides and chemicals, which not only improves human life but also saves the lives of all animal beings and the environment, which is also the ultimate call of global goals, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs 2030). As the project goes into production, it will aid in increasing production with limited land resources that contribute to global food sufficiency.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize is inspired by the late, great Sheikh Zayed; therefore, how has the embassy in Dhaka supported the local communities in Bangladesh?
We have contributed in many ways; one of which being the humanitarian support in Bangladesh to assist local communities, including Rohingyas, with a focus on health, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, elderly persons and women. Over the years, we have conducted sustainability information dissemination sessions and shared the UAE’s best practices in the broad domain to support in every way we can. Aside from ongoing charitable initiatives and voluntary work from UAE nationals in Bangladesh, we have supported local schools and educational institutions, sent aid, emergency or otherwise, with the support of Emirates Red Crescent and held many charitable initiatives to support the communities in need as much as we can. As part of our mission at the Embassy, we will continue to undergo various initiatives to provide support and aid as well as opportunities for the people of Bangladesh.
How do you think schools can nurture young children’s awareness and reinforce the importance of sustainability?
I believe that the path to sustainability begins with education at a young age. Knowledge dissemination and awareness raising are critical factors in achieving and sustaining sustainability from generation to generation. If one can instil sustainability-related awareness and knowledge in young children during their upbringing, it will impact their lifelong journeys and make them behaviourally conscious. Here, schools can work by raising awareness and emphasising the importance of sustainability and it’s a part of our mission to support in this area throughout 2023 and beyond.
For more information, zayedsustainabilityprize.com.
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