On the sidelines of the Search and Rescue Forum entitled “Reality and Challenges”, which kicked off today at the Police Officers Club in Abu Dhabi; Lt. General His Highness Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, honoured the Search and Rescue teams that were part of the search for the body of late Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
H.H. praised the good efforts of the American, Spanish, Greek, French and Emirati teams, saying, “Your efforts represent the spirit of love and devotion to work, and above all, the responsibility you took upon yourselves to reach the noble goal of saving the human value within the human being.”
“What amazed me was the world-class professionalism and skills which you demonstrated in the field during the search operations. Any observer would have thought that you’ve been working together for ages; which prove to me once again that humanitarian work is one, regardless of language and culture,” he added.
H.H. urged the heads and members of these teams to keep on working together and strengthen the ties between them, as well as raise the level of permanent coordination to serve all mankind. He concluded by saying: “I thank each and every one of you; you certainly did the best you could. I ask God that harm may never befall you. ”
The Honours list included, besides the members and heads of the teams, the ambassadors of the countries whose teams were honoured; as well as the Moroccan Ambassador to the UAE, a representative from both the Moroccan Ministry of Interior and the Moroccan Gendarmerie.
Late Sheikh Ahmed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was found dead when his glider crashed in March 2010 in Skhirat Lake behind Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah dam in Morocco. Several Arab, local and international rescue teams participated in the search for his body, which was finally recovered and flown home, to be buried in his beloved country.
H.E. Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Shafar, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior gave a speech at the inauguration of the “Search and Rescue … Reality and Outlooks” forum stressed the attention and support of the higher leadership to all the efforts that aim to promote joint coordination and cooperation to save lives and properties, and fight crises and disasters on a global level, and to lend a helping hand to those affected. He added that this is a human priority concern for leaderships and people alike, and called for implementing precise mechanisms of action as per a unified human response and humanitarian relief standard to all the countries prone to crises and disasters, in respect of our Islamic religion and quintessential Arab values.
He stressed the need to unify the rescue and coordination efforts, and to exchange experiences and information on a regional and international level in order to save lives. He also underscored the need for readiness and quick response to disasters; for developing means and ways of communication, improving cooperation among international search and rescue teams before, during and after a disaster, particularly in the countries prone to disasters.
He added that this forum comes in line with the latest developments and updates around the world in the field of search and rescue, highlighting the importance of unifying efforts and coordination as well as sharing expertise and information to save lives and provide advanced humanitarian services to match the severity of the disaster.