National Media Council (NMC) has announced its first activity for 2016 themed ‘UAE Reads'. The initiative falls within the framework of the UAE's ‘Year of Reading 2016' initiative launched by the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

As one of the early priorities of the program, NMC will launch an account on Instagram under the name "UAE Reads" to encourage the public to read and post their pictures accompanied by the hashtag #UAEReads in order to be featured on the account.

NMC's efforts highlight the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to launch a brainstorming initiative to promote reading as a public and social habit for all, especially the youth.

NMC also plans to participate in upcoming book fairs in both Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, and leverage the platforms to launch a series of activities and initiatives. Additionally, NMC will forge collaborations with leading Emirati publishing houses and institutions in order to spread the culture of reading and make it an integral part of people's lives.

Speaking on the occasion, Mansoor Al Mansoori, Acting Director-General of NMC, said, "The events and activities, which will be organised and announced according to a specific schedule for 2016, aim to support the initiatives of the Year of Reading across both traditional and social media. Our mission is to contribute to the ambitious and meaningful mandate envisioned by the UAE leadership to develop the Emirati media sector and strengthen its march towards success while contributing to the nation's overall process of social development."

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has directed the implementation of the President's initiative through a comprehensive national framework which aims to produce a generation of readers as well as cementing the UAE's position as a centre of literature, culture and knowledge.

The Year of Reading initiative continues the approach and vision of the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, which was based on the conviction that nation-building is not just a focus on urban and technological development, but is highly dependable on human development, which is the real cornerstone of success, and is the reason why the UAE has been able to transform itself in a relatively short period of time, becoming a beacon of progress and centre of culture in both the region and the world.
Source: WAM