Shell and KHDA emphasise on public private cooperation to promote environment sustainability and HSE standards in education sector

Shell has announced that it recently organized an exhibition to showcase the work of students of different schools participating in the Shell Better Environment Award (BEA) 2011, one of the leading initiatives to enhance public awareness towards environmental issues, in coordination with the Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA). The cooperation between Shell and KHDA underlines the importance of partnership between the private and public sectors to support sustainable development goals within the UAE’s education sector. Of the 27 schools taking part in this year’s award, the projects of 17 private and government schools were showcased at the recent exhibition.    

On the sidelines of the exhibition, the projects of schools participating in Shell BEA 2011 are being assessed by a panel of expert judges from the fields of environment, health and sustainability, to select outstanding works that reflect the vision of Shell in the protection of natural resources, improving health and safety standards and encouraging the launch of clean environment projects. The names of award winners will be announced in May, following the final stage of assessment and evaluation.

Shell recently conducted a series of site visits to different schools in Dubai, to promote health, safety and environment (HSE) issues and encourage students to participate in programmes that support the protection of the environment in Dubai, in light of its commitment to achieve environmental sustainability, especially at a time when the impact of global warming is a growing challenge around the world. These site visits, held in coordination with KHDA, were conducted to follow up on the projects and to assess the level of awareness, at the school level, about climate change, road safety, obesity and smoking, as well as to educate students on how to achieve sustainable development goals.

“At Shell, our ongoing commitment to organise the Better Environment Award is in line with our social responsibility efforts and our environmental sustainability and awareness goals. The initiative is all the more significant since it perfectly embodies public private partnership in the area of environment conservation and when it comes to sharing of best practices in health and safety within the education sector. This is crucial since we are currently seeing how environmental concerns are causing socio-economic imbalances and negatively impacting sustainable development, which is vital for the progress of societies,” said Omar Al Qurashi, Head of Communications, Shell in Dubai.

“We thereby reaffirm our commitment to continue working with KHDA to build a qualified generation that is capable of leading the process of sustainable development in the UAE and can strive to reach new horizons of growth and excellence in the future,” he concluded.

The Shell Better Environment Awards 2011 was launched in November 2010 in cooperation with the Knowledge & Human Development Authority with the aim of raising awareness and inspiring the younger generation to contribute in addressing key challenges concerning the environment, health and safety.