UAE Ministry of Education to create awareness about looming water crisis through painting competition

The campaign that's being held in association with Babyshop, Choco'a, Western Union, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Philips and Hamriyah Free Zone Authority, is titled Save Water and brings together 29 top-notch companies under one umbrella to create awareness about the looming water crisis.

H.E. Sheikh Mohammed said, 'We all share the same philosophy and are determined to create a healthy environment cared for and enjoyed by the whole community.'

Each year the contest is held to generate awareness about pressing environmental issues.
Mr Ahmad Abdul-Rahman, Director, Dept. of Student Activities, Ministry of Education, said, 'Our environment is rapidly degenerating. In order to protect it we need to take drastic measures. "Water Stress" has been a common denominator between disease, rising food prices and many political crises around the world. This calls for more engagement from government, businesses and society. It is time for everybody to follow sustainable water policies. The most important step is to make communities aware of the issues involved and this is precisely what we wish to do through the annual UAE Children's Painting Competition.'

Save Water Children's Painting Competition will be held from October 8 to November 8, 2008. It is targeted at all school children between the age of 6 and 11 years in the UAE. Over a 100,000 entry forms will be distributed in all participating public and private schools in the UAE from October 8 onwards. The last date of receiving back entries is November 8, 2008. Out of these will be short-listed 1000 entries which will be displayed at a special exhibition at Al Ghurair City from Nov 22 - Dec 13. From those will be chosen the 100 winners who will be honored at a Grand Award Ceremony scheduled for Dec 15, 2008 at Coral Beach Resort, Sharjah.

Each of the supporters of the Save Water campaign spoke with great passion expressing their concern about the water crisis:

Michel Noblet, Managing Director & Initiator of the UAE Children's Painting Competition, HMH - Hospitality Management Holdings, said:

"At HMH we take environmental concerns seriously and are committed to protecting the environment. Since its launch in 2003, the UAE Children's Painting Competition has grown bigger every year and is considered today the most popular event among school children in the UAE. Awareness and education are definitely the first steps in getting people to realise how alarming the whole situation is."

Equally enthusiastic was Mamdouh Khairallah, Regional Manager, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, AGMC, BMW Importer. 'This is the third year running that AGMC has sponsored the UAE Children's Painting Competition, a demonstration of our commitment to developing our children's awareness for preserving the environment. We want to support the future generation's pledge to help protect and save our beautiful planet and create a better future for generations to come. Furthermore, BMW Group is committed to clean energy through the continuous development of hydrogen technology. As the sole importer for BMW Group products in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates, AGMC is fully dedicated to BMW Group's Energy Strategy.'

Vinod Talreja, Chief Executive Officer, Babyshop, said: 'We all need to change for better our relationship with nature and think like environmentalists. Power saving, pollution control, energy saving, recycling, etc are all important steps in tackling the problem. No matter how small the effort, every drop counts. So let us all join hands in leaving a beautiful world for our children.'

Rashid Al Leem, Director General, Hamriyah Free Zone Authority and Department of Seaports & Customs, said: 'The UAE Children's Painting Competition marks a watershed in the efforts to stir the public's consciousness about key environmental issues. The risk of serious irreversible consequences within the next few years is too great to warrant complacency. All of us should be making personal choice to reduce unnecessary consumption of natural assets in order to help save the earth before it's too late.'

Yaqoub Yousof, Deputy Chief Executive, Commercial Bank of Dubai, said: "Allah has created from water every living creature". Water has been termed as the "oil of this century". A crisis of this magnitude clearly calls for action. It is time for everybody to follow sustainable water policies. Saving Water is critical to the future of our environment. Government and industry together have to take the lead by finding ways to cut water consumption. We feel proud to be part of this wonderful initiative and hope it would be instrumental in elevating public awareness about the water crisis.'

Katta Prrasad, Marketing Director - Diaspora, Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Western Union, said: 'Human activity is no doubt altering the environment faster than we can possibly predict the consequences. The impact of this is being felt in many ways. If we stay on business-as-usual path for another decade, we may be destroying our planet beyond repair. As enlightened individuals it becomes our responsibility to reduce our carbon footprints. We invite all of you to unite in this unique nationwide environmental campaign.'

Louis Hakim, CEO, Philips Middle East, said: 'We are delighted to support Save Water project. Sustainability is how we do business. We have long been integrating economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity with a clear view of sustainable value creation. We seek sustainable innovations to improve people's lives in all markets and thereby contributing to development. Philips Eco Vision program calls for the development of environmentally superior, best products in class 'Green Flagship Products'. Philips ranks top in energy saving reporting, and we are also recognized for our EcoVision and EcoDesign programs with measurable targets and the concrete information we provide on our Green Flagship products.'

Assem H Hamzeh, Managing Director, Choco'a, said: 'Today's world is all about sustainability. UAE Children's Painting Competition offers great a platform for addressing pressing environmental issues. We need to be more vigilant in how we manage our water resources.'

Salem Al Ghurair, Chief Executive Officer, Al Ghurair City, said: 'We believe the UAE Children's Painting Competition - Save Water. It is a wonderful initiative to create awareness about the need for water conservation. We at Al Ghurair City are committed to supporting projects that contribute towards the conservation of the environment. We are delighted to support this cause and hope the children will enjoy it as much. Such campaigns should pave the way for an environmentally safe future and help make the world a better place for our Children.'

Malco Rodricks, General Manager, Apollo Flight Centre, said: 'Scarcity and pollution are becoming more common and responsibility for finding solutions rests with all of us. We are a green and environmentally responsible company and hence proud to be part of this significant campaign.'

Others supporting the 'Save Water' competition are MANAFA LLC, McDonald's, Oasis Water, Virgin Megastore, Microsoft, Palm Utilities, Just a Drop, Toyworld, Palm International, Guerlain, Al Leem Learning Centre, Excellent Tours and Coral Beach Resort, Sharjah and Safe Printers.

The Grand Prize for the competition is a 4-day trip to New Zealand with two adults. It is sponsored by New Zealand and Beyond, Your Leisure Company. The media partners for the competition are Khaleej Times, Young Times, City 7 TV and Channel 4 Radio Network while the special sponsor is Al Ghurair City. Save Water is organised by MPJ - Marketing Pro-Junction.

The countries of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), one of the most arid regions in the world, already use more water than they receive through rainfall and river flows each year, thus depleting groundwater resources. According to a report published by World Bank, the Middle East and North Africa face a serious crisis in water availability unless they develop more efficient and transparent policies. It estimates that by 2050 per capita water availability in the region will fall by 50%.