Clean Up UAE 2020

• To create awareness amongst the community about local environmental issues with special emphasis on waste management, waste reduction and recycling • To educate the community on the importance of reducing the quantity of waste production all over the country • To link with the global environmental movement by promoting the principle of ‘think globally, act locally’ • To instil a sense of responsibility amongst different sectors of the society particularly the youth towards environmental protection & preservation • To involve the various sectors, i.e. government, corporate, academic, and families in an integrated national environmental initiative • To facilitate integrated partnerships for the cause of sustainable development in UAE • To cut across barriers of religion, nationality, age, gender, and occupation • To initiate a sustained, annual, national event that will provide experience in hands-on environmental action • To ensure that the waste collected in segregated properly and sent for recycling thereby promoting the concept of circular economy • To work towards the cleaning of the natural environment thereby providing the right habitat for the wildlife to thrive • To promote the culture of volunteerism amongst the society which lead to the development of loyalty and affinity to the land and the country • To make a blueprint for concerted environmental action that can be replicated elsewhere Launched in 2002, the Clean-up UAE Campaign is part of a greater initiative to encourage individuals and organisations to be more responsible towards the upkeep and wellbeing of the environment and is in line with EEG's on-going efforts to gather comprehensive grassroots support in the global campaign against environmental degradation and climate change. The Clean-up UAE campaign consists of volunteers from every strata of society - government agencies, private sector organisations, corporates, academic institutions, families and individuals –who come together for one single cause – to roll up their sleeves and act as a cohesive unit in cleaning and maintaining a healthy and sustainable environment for the UAE. Every year, the Campaign witnesses thousands of volunteers across the country collecting tonnes of waste from different topographies and segregating them for proper disposal and recycling. These include a variety of recyclables such as plastic waste, glass containers, aluminium cans, tyres, fabrics, food wrappers and other non-biodegradable waste. From 2002 until end of 2020, EEG has seen the participation of 787,916 people representing hundreds of entities and thousands of families who managed to collect a total amount of 1,529,184 kg of waste and covering a total area of 957.5 km2 In 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic and movement restrictions, the Clean-up UAE Campaign was conducted in Abu-Dhabi and Dubai only with 5,354 participants, collecting 14,231 kg of waste and covering 23 km2 As an accredited body of the UNEP, EEG is proud to state that through this campaign it has been able to successfully implement the following UN SDG goals: 1) Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 2) Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable 3) Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 4) Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 5) Goal 15: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss 6) Goal 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development In the upcoming year, we would like to: 1. Invite the private sector to come on board and sponsor the campaign to enable us to expand it more and reach to every corner of the country 2. Get support from specialised bodies to enable us to create effective short films to be aired in national TV stations as well as on YouTube to help raise awareness as well as encourage more participation and motivate other entities to conduct similar campaigns in neighbouring countries 3. Collaborate with like-minded organisations and NGOs across all the Emirates to organise bigger and more self-sufficient clean ups under the Clean Up UAE banner 4. Invite and partner with NGOs and other bodies from countries in the Arab world to organise similar clean ups in their countries under the Clean Up banner 5. Invite more media partners for proper pre- and post-marketing of the campaign 6. Invite private sector organisations to support with logistics and materials for the Campaign i.e. Caps, T-shirts, biodegradable garbage bags, cotton gloves, masks, sanitisers etc.