His Highness Sheikh Mohammed pledges to take UAE to ranks of developed countries and further

On the UAE's 41st National Day, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, pledged to move forward, taking the UAE to the ranks of the developed countries and further beyond.

''Together we celebrate today the auspices occasion of our national day as we did commemorate it over the last forty-one years, because we want this dear occasion to perpetuate in the history of our people and take roots in the minds and hearts of our citizens and in the national culture so that it can be inherited by generations after generations,'' Sheikh Mohammed said in a statement to the Dira'a Al Watan magazine on the UAE's 41st National Day.

''We will safeguard the symbols of communication between this deep-rooted past and the vibrant present as well as the promising future, which we, as leaders, are working to draw and build for the benefit of the present and coming generations.

“We do this through the construction of the scientific, educational and health facilities, as well as everything that will ensure opportunities of education, safe work and welfare for our citizens, especially the younger generation.

“It is on them we rely in the process of development and modernisation through their active participation.

The challenges faced by the process of building a modern state, he recalled, were many and complex. ''But our founding leaders, who were led by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum, were able to meet those challenges and overcome them with determination, persistence and good intentions until we got this welfare, civilization, economic and political stability and social security.

''Today, under the leadership of my brother His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, we shoulder this great inheritance, which we cherish and glorify its national and humanitarian achievements.

“We preserve it, because it is our national identity that we have to protect and uphold. It is with this identity that we build bridges of communication between ours and other cultures in order to build a humane partnership between our people and the peoples of the world based on mutual understanding, dialogue and coexistence and empathy,'' he added.

Restoration of Union House

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered the renovation of the Union House in Dubai and the restoration of every detail of the structure as it was at the time of the declaration of the Union on 2nd December 1971.

Sheikh Mohammed said: "This house represents a historical legacy of the UAE and an important milestone for future generations. To preserve it means to maintain the historic moments, to perpetuate the national memories and document the experience of an Arab unity that was, and is and will remain, God willing, as the most successful experiments of union in the Arab World".

He continued: "The moments the flag of the UAE was hoisted for the first time in this house are the moments that filled us with the feelings of pride, independence and unity too. And the election of Sheikh Zayed as president and Rashid as the deputy took place in the same House. It was the beginning of a blessed journey, a journey of making and development on the land of UAE. It is our duty towards the children of our motherland to perpetuate those great moments and we remind them all that the modest beginnings can lead to great endings if accompanied by loyalty to the homeland, determination and resolve".

The Union House, which played a key role in the contemporary history of the UAE, is located at the west end of the December 2 street, - formerly known as Dhiyafa street, near the sea. The Union House witnessed the signing of the treaty establishing the first federal state in the Arab World, the United Arab Emirates on December 2, 1971.

Mohammed orders distribution of 76 new homes to citizens

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has ordered to deliver 76 new homes to eligible citizens who were living in old type popular houses in the Al khawaneej Area.

Executive Director of Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment (MBRHE) Samy Abdullah Gargash said that the kind directives of Sheikh Mohammed reflect his keenness to provide the citizens with the means of decent living and ensure social security to the national families.

Gargash thanked Sheikh Mohammed for this benevolent gesture and asserted that the order will be implemented without delay.

The establishment continues to construct modern homes in various parts of the emirate for distributing them among the nationals as per orders from the Ruler.