The event was held on Monday morning at Epaa’s Natural History & Botanical Museum.

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

The Environment and Protected Areas Authority (Epaa) organised a special celebration entitled “You May Know One Another” for the UAE’s 48th National Day. Held on the morning of Monday 25th November at Epaa’s Natural History & Botanical Museum, the celebration was aimed at VIPs including the heads and directors of government departments and representatives from the Embassy of the State of Palestine and the Embassy of the Republic of Mexico and government employees, Epaa staff, people from a nursing home and the Museum’s visitors.

Based on the Qur’anic verse “and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another”, the theme for the celebration for the 48th National Day and the Year of Tolerance highlights different cultures and civilisations because people of more than 200 nationalities live in peace and tolerance in the UAE. The celebration included an exhibition about different countries, troupes of folk dancers from the participating countries, and a display of dishes from various countries.

Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Epaa Chairperson, said, “We celebrate the UAE’s 48th National Day, renewing our vows, loyalty and sense of belonging to our wise leadership and our precious homeland. We reaffirm that we continue to uphold the values of the union established by the Founding Fathers. We extend our congratulations and love to our leaders and rulers. We emphasise all the values that unite us and express our great pleasure and joy on this national occasion, which is dear to us all.”

Al Suwaidi pointed out that the celebration of National Day, the day on which the union was founded, is a time to express loyalty and belonging to the homeland and the wise leadership. It is an occasion to commemorate the efforts of the founding leaders who worked to establish the UAE and the federation in December 1971. Since then, our days have been beautiful and happy.

Al Suwaidi added, “National Day is an expression of our unity and cohesion; we gather to reaffirm that we walk hand-in-hand with our leader to a brighter future. This year, the ambition of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and builder of the UAE, was realised when we went to space.”

National Day will be celebrated from Nov 28th to December 3rd with activities, programmes, educational outdoor workshops, food trucks, gifts for visitors, games and an exhibition by creative families.