Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport continues growth path

Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim Younes, Head of DAST Higher Committee cum CEO of RTA Strategy & Corporate Governance Sector, said: "The sustained growth rates recorded by the Award starting from the inaugural edition back in 2008 and through the fifth round in 2012 is indicative of the mounting awareness of the Award among government, quasi-government and the business community. This trend has been quite evident particularly with the broadening of the scope of the Award to cover the entire UAE rather than being restricted to Dubai Emirate, starting from the 4th edition in 2011."

Explaining the above, Younes said, "When kicked off in 2008, the Award comprised 3 categories and started to grow to reach 7 categories in the last edition of 2012. The number of submissions made also grew from 28 in the maiden edition to as much as 89 in the fifth edition. Similarly, the number of sponsors jumped 4 in 2008 to 15 in 2012 in a host of packages."

"DAST has made continuous successes over the past five editions and attracted participants representing a wide spectrum of government, semi-government and private entities who submitted researches and work papers enriching the sustainable transport drive in Dubai Emirate and the whole UAE, and contributing to the environment and health-oriented initiatives aimed to enhance this sector in keeping with the advancements made in all other sectors. The decision to broaden the scope of the Award to include all UAE emirates stems from the success made in the first three rounds of DAST, and echoes the commitment of the RTA to diffusing the culture of sustainable transport nation-wide through opening the door for the largest possible number of submissions from various institutions operating in the UAE to contribute to building a solid base for the concept & applications of sustainable transport as it brings about huge dividends to the environment and public health alike," continued Abdul Mohsin.

"The RTA is seeking to upgrade the mechanism of DAST to keep pace with the phenomenal evolution of RTA initiatives and projects. The Award was subjected to a sweeping overhaul spanning all aspects such that Excellence became a byword and a theme for the first three editions. The number of participants saw remarkable increases, and more room was made available to accommodate the largest possible number of public, semi-public and private organizations such that they can contribute to the prosperity of sustainable transport in the UAE and accordingly raise the profile of this country worldwide," he explained.

The Head of DAST Higher Committee anticipated more successes to be made in the sixth renewal of the Award in 2013 in a way that surpasses what has been achieved in the past five editions, thanks to the unlimited support of the Dubai Government in backing the expeditious efforts of the RTA in this score.