Lt.-Gen. Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, received the award of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) in recognition of the pivotal role undertaken by the UAE in promoting integrated global action. The award is also a recognition of the UAE’s pioneering initiatives in supporting the health sector and the frontline heroes. This came on the sidelines of the PAM’s plenary session held in Italy’s capital, Rome, in the presence of HE Sergio Piazzi, Secretary General of PAM, members of the General Secretariat as well as a huge turnout of officials and representatives of international associations and organizations.
During the ceremony, Sheikh Saif announced that the UAE, under the directives of the judicious leadership, launched the first edition of the Waterfalls Award to honor 50 doctors and their families around the world who have provided humanitarian services and made sacrifices to protect the safety and health of their communities, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The award is part of the UAE’s contributions to the global efforts in recognizing frontline workers and in appreciating their role, sacrifices and dedication.
The Minister made a speech at the ceremony in which he conveyed the greetings of the UAE leadership, governmentand people to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean and people in both countries. In his speech, Sheikh Saif recalled a number of forerunners in medicinesuch as Hippocrates, Avicenna, Al Razi and Ibn al-Haytham and their trailblazing role in medical scienceswhich reached great achievements at present.
In his speech, Sheikh Saif referred to the UAE's continuous humanitarian initiatives aimed at supporting the efforts of the frontline healthcare workers and supporting the global health sector in general based on the vision of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and the follow-up and support of HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE Vice President, Prime Ministers and Ruler of Dubai, and HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Sheikh Saif announced that under the directives of the judicious leadership, which did not stop at capacity building, the UAE launched the Waterfalls initiative to the world as well as the first Waterfalls Award in cooperation with a number of international partners that contribute to honoring 50 doctors from all over the world and their families.
The Minister indicated that the beneficiaries of the UAEinitiative Waterfalls’ are more than one million doctors all over the world, stressing that the success of this humanitarian initiative would not have been come aboutwithout the concerted efforts of 87 partners acrossinternational health and educational institutions.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean gives out its awards to countries, individuals, institutions or bodies that contribute to establishing cooperation amongpeoples of the region and the world and provide international humanitarian services to enhance mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation among people of the region and the world.
The relevant authority in PAM chose the global initiative "Waterfalls" which the UAE launched to the world to win the health award, in recognition of the humanitarian initiative in providing continuous support, training and development of medical and health staff.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, established in 2005, is considered a forum for the parliaments of the countries of the Mediterranean region and a number of other non-Mediterranean countries, including the UAE. The Assembly is an observer in the UNGeneral Assembly, and participants aim to reach common goals in order to create the best political, social, economic and cultural environments for Member States’ citizens. The rotating presidency of the Assembly is held by Italy from 2020 to 2021.