Today, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, was given a tour of Masdar City, where he took part in a Youth Circle organised by the Emirates Youth Council. The visit was part of a tour of the region, which builds on the longstanding relationship between the UAE and the UK.
The Youth Circle, hosted outside the Masdar Institute Knowledge Centre, brought together young and talented professionals and students to share their hopes, ideas and concerns. On the topic of “Engaging and Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future,” the event provided a platform for youth-centric discussions on some of the most important challenges and opportunities facing the world today.
Youth Circles were established in line with the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to inspire sustainable youth-centric dialogue across sectors. Youth Circles are a platform to enable youth to express their opinions on societal challenges and policy matters, and to catalyze community impact and youth leadership.
Prior to the Youth Circle, His Royal Highness toured Masdar City and Masdar Institute. The tour was led by His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar; Her Excellency Shamma Sohail Al Mazrui, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs; Mohamed Al Ramahi, Masdar CEO; Dr. Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost of Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and Masdar leadership team.
As part of the visit, The Prince of Wales was given an insight into Masdar’s growing portfolio of clean energy projects across the globe, including those in the UK: London Array, the largest offshore wind farm in the world, and Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm, which is set for production in the first quarter of 2017. He also met with researchers from four Masdar Institute projects, highlighting the Institute’s leadership in sustainable technology research.
His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: “The visit of His Royal Highness reinforces the strong bilateral ties that exist between the UAE and UK. The Prince of Wales has been playing a leadership role on sustainability issues since long before they became part of the global agenda, so he was particularly interested to understand the pioneering strides made since the formation of Masdar 10 years ago to advance the adoption of clean energy and responsible development.”
Her Excellency Shamma Sohail Al Mazrui said: “It was an honor to have His Royal Highness Prince Charles championing an important priority for both the UAE and UK, namely youth and sustainability. Through engaging youth-led initiatives such as Youth Circles, the UAE is providing a valuable platform for youth to lead the global dialogue on sustainability, while in turn developing knowledge and human potential.”
She added: “Youth are the ones who are inheriting tomorrow’s world, so it is imperative to integrate them into the global conversation on sustainability through platforms such as Youth Circles. Our generation will bring a young, fresh and creative perspective to problem-solving for a sustainable future.”
Dr. Al Yousuf said: “Masdar Institute is honoured to host His Royal Highness Prince Charles, who has been a champion for environmentalism for over 40 years. His visit, which adds to our growing list of visits from leading international royalty, shows the shared value of sustainability. Earth is our collective responsibility, which is why Masdar Institute strives to collaborate across borders with international partners to develop solutions and innovations to real-world sustainability challenges. Today’s Youth Circle event is also aligned with Masdar Institute’s focus on developing our young people into high-value human capital who will help lead the country’s knowledge economy transformation.”
The Prince of Wales has a long relationship with Masdar and Masdar Institute. In 2008, he gave a keynote address at the inaugural World Future Energy Summit (WFES), a conference held during the Masdar-hosted Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Masdar Press Team
07 November 2016
