If the UAE’s beloved Founding Father Sheikh Zayed were alive today, he would have been the best person to tell the world how much preserving the environment means to the country. On Friday, COP28 UAE ‘brought him to life’ to do exactly that.
In an impressive use of 3D hologram technology, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is seen taking the stage to deliver a speech for the kings, presidents, prime ministers, and the movers and shakers who have gathered at Expo City Dubai for COP28.
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Addressing them as “your majesties, your excellencies, your highnesses”, he welcomed the delegates to the climate conference and their “second homeland”.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Arabic speech was inspired by an actual address that Sheikh Zayed had delivered before. However, it was a message that perfectly captured the Founding Father’s vision for the environment and greening the desert.
He spoke of how sustainability has always been part of the Emirati way of life.
“For us in the UAE, conserving and preserving the environment is not a slogan or a logo. It’s actually part and parcel of who we are as a history, as a culture, and as a legacy. We have been and we’ll always remain committed to the coexistence of nature and human beings,” he said.
Here’s the full video that COP28 UAE shared on X:
Emirati forefathers, he said, knew the importance of nature and took only what they needed to survive.
“They left a source of goodness and abundance for the next generations — and, as such, we are responsible for taking care of the environment.”
“The coming generations will live in a world that’s very different … and this is why we have to prepare ourselves and our children.”
A message to governments
Sheikh Zayed also called on governments to take action and work to achieve one goal: To create a good future for the next generation.
He also urged the leaders to the conference as an opportunity to “forsake any feuds and quarrels and build bridges of love and understanding”.