ABU DHABI, 13th June, 2017 (WAM) — The Sandooq Al Watan initiatives reflect the decades-long giving and volunteering culture in the UAE, strengthened by the wise leadership’s #Year of Giving initiative, said Mohammed Taj Al Deen Al Qadhi, Director-General of the fund.
Sandooq Al Watan was launched under the slogan, “People Determined to Give, to Grant the Nation Prosperity”, as an implementation of a comprehensive national strategy that aims to achieve a set of goals and priorities. This strategy is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for the UAE to be prepared for a post-oil economy by expanding its other sectors, in order to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy and train a new generation of innovators in different fields.
In an interview with the Emirates News Agency, WAM, the Director-General spoke about the fund’s progress since its establishment in 2016. He revealed the fund’s national goals and priorities, including the aim to discover 5,000 talented individuals in the UAE by 2020, as well as funding applied research studies with a total value of AED15 million.
Al Qadhi spoke about the establishment of the fund in 2016 to promote a culture of giving among businessmen and investors in the UAE.
Sandooq Al Watan was launched by a group of Emirati businesspeople with the aim to build a sense of social cohesion among members of the community, he said, adding that the fund was inspired by the sacrifices of the nation’s martyrs. “As such, the least the businesspeople could do was offer their money and experience to support the nation’s progress and sustainable development,” Al Qadhi continued.
He highlighted that the Sandooq Al Watan 2020 Strategy is in line with the UAE leadership’s vision of a sustainable future for the country and its citizens in a post-oil economic era.
