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Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said that reading, and the spread of knowledge, are key to the development and progress of nations. His Highness also praised the role played by media outlets in promoting reading habits and turning it into a social culture especially among youngsters.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed made these remarks at his weekly gathering at Zabeel Palace, which was attended by Deputy Ruler of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum; H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; and Director General of Dubai's Department of Information H.H. Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum and a number of ministers, heads of local departments and dignitaries.

His Highness stressed the importance of reading, which he described as a "key to knowledge and a bridge to reach the highest levels of innovation across various sectors."

Sheikh Mohammed also urged media professionals to use their outlets to spread knowledge and encourage reading among the public.

"Help youngsters to read as it is a key to promote the development of nations. The love of reading is taught from an early age, and becomes a habit and culture that you cannot live without," His Highness said.

"The UAE has selected creativity and innovation as pathways to progress. The pillar of this creativity lies between the covers and pages of the book. So, open up new avenues of knowledge for them, and help them make research and curiosity a habit from the early ages. This will help develop a generation of scholars and scientists who will pursue progress and development."

At the gathering, which was also attended by Federal National Council Speaker Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi and Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Sheikh Mohammed also highlighted the commitment shown by the UAE to encourage reading under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which was reflected in the issuance of the first law on reading.

Sheikh Mohammed hailed the law, which is aimed at creating a framework for government entities across various sectors including educational, social, media and cultural sectors, to promote reading among all segments of society and all age groups.

His Highness also praised the "Arab Reading Challenge" and its role in encouraging more than one million students to read over 50 million books during their academic year.

Sheikh Mohammed also thanked youngsters for the efforts they made during the Challenge. He expressed happiness at the fact that the Challenge brought together Arab youth to read and study despite the challenges that the region is facing.