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On the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Cabinet has approved the declaration of 2016 as the UAE Reading Year. The Cabinet issued directives to start preparing an integrated national literacy strategy and a framework to produce a reading generation and establish the UAE as the capital of cultural and knowledge content.
President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan thanked all the individuals and entities for their active participation in the success of the 2015 year of innovation drive. His Highness affirmed that such efforts positioned the United Arab Emirates in the right bath for innovation and the country will soon reap the fruits of this work.

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa said: “We directed to declare 2016 as the Reading Year because reading is the basic skill for a new generation of scientists, intellectuals and innovators.”

Sheikh Khalifa added that to establish a knowledge-based economy, introduce a new path for development based on innovation and knowledge and achieving
sustainability, we must stop importing expertise. We must foster our own talents. We need to raise an educated generation that is aware of the global changes and capable of working and innovating in all fields.

His Highness concluded that education and knowledge will remain key for prosperity and reading is key for education and knowledge. The first verse in Quran is “Read”.

From his side, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum issued his orders to immediately implement the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and prepare an integrated national literacy strategy and a framework

to
produce a reading generation and establish the UAE as the capital of cultural and knowledge content.

His Highness said UAE offers book fairs, cultural festivals, awards that celebrate intellectuals and poets and many initiatives to promote and protect Arabic language and reading. We are qualified to be the world’s capital for culture, reading and knowledge content.”

Sheikh Mohammed said scientists and innovators are made and reading is the base foundation for any civilization. The now-a-day generation suffer a reading crisis and we have to work hard to change this.

The real asset of any advanced nation is its people, especially the educated ones, and the prosperity and
success of the people are measured by the standard of their education. The doctrine of the founder of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, could well form the cornerstone of the UAE’s ongoing campaign to instill the habit of reading in the people, particularly children.

His Highness the Vice President issued directives to establish a higher committee to manage and supervise the reading year’s efforts. The committee, chaired by Minister of Cabinet affairs Mohammed Al Gergawi, will establish a comprehensive strategic plan and a national framework to encourage reading and trigger a behavioral change in all segments of UAE community. The committee will also align the efforts to further boost UAE position a global capital for innovation and knowledge and produce an cultured generation that will
lead the UAE’s march toward the knowledge-based economy.