HRH Prince William made his first ever visit this week to the UAE and it coincided with the country’s 50th anniversary and the UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai.
His aim was to build the bond between the UK and the UAE and use the opportunity to engage with young Emiratis, leaders from government and committed conservationists.
His love for the natural world is a passion that was shared by the UAE’s founding father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
During the visit, Prince William discovered initiatives that provide protected areas for the unique flora and fauna of the region, and took the opportunity to highlight two Royal Foundation programmes: United for Wildlife and The Earthshot Prize.
United for Wildlife, established by Prince William in 2014, has been working in the region to help facilitate efforts to counter the trade in illegal wildlife, which poses an existential threat to the world’s most iconic species. Countries all over the world, including the UAE, are making a collective effort to tackle this USD 150 billion criminal enterprise.
The visit also provided an opportunity to showcase The Earthshot Prize on the world stage at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Expo 2020, along with DP World, its Global Trade Partner, is a Global Alliance Founding Partner of The Earthshot Prize – the huge global environment initiative founded by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and established by Prince William. Highlighting some of the remarkable innovators from the inaugural 2021 Earthshot Prize will help accelerate and scale their incredible solutions to repair the planet.
