DUBAI – His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday raised the UAE flag in a ceremony held at Expo 2020’s Al Wasl Plaza on the occasion of UAE Flag Day.
His Highness was accompanied by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council; and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management. The citizens of Dubai had been encouraged to raise the UAE flag at 11am, wherever they might be.
UAE Flag Day, held on 3 November each year, is a day to celebrate people and ideas. In particular, it remembers the ascension of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the President of the UAE in 2004, and has been marked every year since 2013.
It is also a day to renew the Spirit of the Union and remember the efforts of the UAE’s late founding fathers, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, may they rest in peace.
According to the official UAE news agency, WAM, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed stated, “We have chosen to celebrate UAE Flag Day at a place that brings the world together to achieve the goal of creating a better future for humanity. On this occasion, we reaffirm our commitment to realising the values on which the Union was founded and building bridges of cooperation with nations across the world to shape a better future for the planet.”
The flag holds special meaning – it has three horizontal bands of green, white and black, with a vertical strip of red next to the mast. Each colour represents a different attribute, with red standing for courage, green for hope, white for honesty, and black for strength of mind.
The flag-raising at Expo was followed by the national anthem and a pledge of allegiance. A procession of police marshals and horses marched, while musicians entertained the audience.
