The Ministry of Environment and Water in collaboration with the Emirates Volunteering Association, recently hosted a workshop in Dubai focusing on the significance of volunteerism. The sessions, which were organized under the slogan, ‘The importance of volunteerism in our lives,’ falls in line with the Ministry’s continuing efforts to promote a culture of volunteerism between its employees and the local community. During the workshop sessions, the term ‘volunteerism’ was defined and used as an essential aspect in everyday lives to help maintain happiness in the community, as well as being an important factor in motivating and encouraging the community to participate in various volunteering activities.

Engineer Yousef Al-Ahmad Al Raisi, Acting Director of the Government Communication Department, Ministry of Environment and Water, said: “This workshop is aimed at meeting the requirements of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Excellence in Government Performance, which enables the public sector to excel in systems and services, activities and results criteria, pointing out that the sense of volunteerism among members of the community is the first motivation for success--as the volunteer is the person who contributes to the efforts and serves the community without asking for anything in return. The Ministry is keen to organize these kinds of social activities, wherein the implementation of this workshop is part of a series of community activities organized by the Ministry of Environment and Water to best serve our government, which has given us a lot and has strengthened our position in the world.” 

Mohammed Saleh Badah, Vice Chairman, Emirates Volunteer Association, said: “Volunteerism is an essential part of today’s world, whether we are talking about its objectives, stages,

qualifications of its volunteers, or the volunteer’s rights and duties. The workshop has had a great response from the Ministry staff and has definitely encouraged them in trusting the importance of social responsibility for both the individual and society.