Under the patronage of Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation, in cooperation with Zayed University in Dubai, will be organizing a symposium under the title of ‘Cultural Sustainability for Better Life in the UAE’ on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at Zayed University campus in Dubai. An art exhibition titled, ‘A Sustainable Tomorrow’ will be held on the sidelines of the event at 10 am on the same day.

The symposium will include two sessions, which will tackle issues of sustainability from a cultural standpoint. The first session, which will be moderated by Dr. Fatima Al Sayegh, will discuss the following researches: ‘Sustainability between the Past and the Present in the UAE’ by Dr. Mohandes Suhail Al Ghafl, ‘Environmental Sustainability and its Objectives in Local Culture’ by Dr. Mohamed Al Abbadi, ‘Using Sustainable Construction Techniques’ by Engineer Mira Mohsen Al Ameri and ‘Sustainability and Urban Heritage’ by Rashad Abu Khash.

The second session of the symposium will be moderated by Dr. Mona Al Bahar and will feature the following researches: ‘Cultural Sustainability and UAE Media’ by Ali Obaid Al Hamli’. ‘The End of Forgetfulness and Cultural Sustainability’ by Saleha Obaid, ‘The Culture of Sustainability and Environmental Pedagogy in Educational Communities’ by Dr. Heba Abu Khousa, ‘Artificial Intelligence Techniques and their Impact on the Ecosystem’ by Dr. Bilqasim Al Jatari and ‘Visual Sustainability and Urban Development’ by Engineer Sanaa Al Alili.

Moreover, a plastic art exhibition titled, ‘A Sustainable Tomorrow’ will be held on the sidelines of the event and will tackle the theme of Sustainability through a number of sculptures and paintings by artists who use eco-friendly materials or shed light on the themes of ‘Sustainability’ and ‘The Environment’ in their art. The exhibition will feature artworks by Bassem Al Sayir, Jamal Mahmoud Bahjat, George Sobhi, Ali Al Zowielef, Mira Al Qasim, Iman Al Hashemi, Azza Ak Qubaisi, Khaleel Abdul Wahid, Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, Saud Al Thaheri and Mohamed Ahmed Ibrahim.

It is worth mentioning that this cooperation with Zayed University is in line with the government’s keenness on sustainability, as the UAE has named 2023 as ‘The Year of Sustainability’ under the motto of ‘Today for Tomorrow’. This cooperation aims to shed light on the rich heritage of the United Arab Emirates in terms of sustainable practices and spread awareness about issues of environmental sustainability as well as encourage societal engagement in order to achieve sustainable development and support national strategies in this field.