Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri and the winners pose for a photograph during the ceremony. WAM

The Award was rolled out by the Children’s Advisory Council of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) in 2020 to mark Emirati Children’s Day with the aim of engaging the young generation in enhancing environmental sustainability. The inaugural edition was held under the theme “Conserving Biodiversity.”

The winners were Abdullah Mohammed Al Dhaheri for best short story, Maryam Yousef Al Marzouqi for best artwork, Ghaya Saad Al Ahbabi for best educational video, Sarah Salem Smaidfor best awareness campaign, and Sainath Manikandan for best technical or scientific project.

During the award ceremony, Elizabeth Jamila Yafai, early childhood practitioner also known as Mama Lisa, received honourary recognition for her personal environmental endeavours. Throughout her career, she launched multiple initiatives to motivate children to care for the environment, and provided parents with information and guidance on the use of recycled materials as learning resources.

In her keynote speech, Mariam Almheiri reiterated the UAE’s commitment to nurturing environmental skills in the young generation and involving youth in driving sustainability.

She said, "Environmental protection is a strategic priority that we aim to advance through engaging all segments of society, including youth and children, whose contribution reflects the high environmental awareness in our community. We are building a new generation of future environmental champions who can lead the UAE’s environmental drive that has spanned five decades and positioned our country as a leading role model for environmental work and climate action."

She added, "The Children’s Environment Award is an important initiative that we will continue to support to raise awareness about environmental efforts in the UAE."

For her part, Rym Al Falasy praised the active participation in the award, noting that it is a reflection of the unlimited energies and perseverance of the children of the UAE. She stressed that the initiative helps foster a generation that can properly protect the environment through honing children’s knowledge and skills and educating them about environmental challenges and the positive contribution they can make to overcome these challenges.

She added, "Children’s involvement in creating and implementing environmental initiatives helps build their connection with the environment and empowers them as active actors in this space. We need to join forces to raise children’s environmental awareness and encourage them to participate in environmental drives. Educating the young generation about the environmental concerns of today and tomorrow and their social, health, and economic impacts will give them the knowledge to contribute to the sustainable development of our environment and its resources."

The competition was open to all UAE citizens and residents falling within one of two age groups: 8- to 12-year-olds and 13- to 18-year-olds.

WAM