In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed Authority for People of Determination and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Abu Dhabi Excellence Award for People of Determination Inclusion – Damj (Damj Award), the Department of Community Development (DCD) has announced the winners of the inaugural cycle of the Damj Award, the first of its kind globally.
The announcement took place during a ceremony held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, attended by His Excellency Shamis Ali Al Dhaheri, Chairman of DCD; His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, Chairman of the National Media Authority; Her Excellency Sara Al Amiri, Minister of Education; Her Excellency Sana bint Mohammed Suhail, Minister of Family; His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi; His Excellency Mansoor Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health; His Excellency Mohamed Al Qadi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge; Eng. Hamad Ali Al Dhaheri, Undersecretary of DCD; as well as several dignitaries, officials, and representatives from government, private, and third-sector institutions.
His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: "The Abu Dhabi Excellence Award for People of Determination Inclusion – Damj embodies the vision of our wise leadership to build and invest in people, and to create a cohesive community that provides opportunities for all, believing that empowering People of Determination is an integral part of the sustainable development journey."
His Highness added that Abu Dhabi is moving firmly toward consolidating its position as a global model for empowering People of Determination, based on an approach that believes providing opportunities and enabling individuals to fully participate in the community is an investment in national talents capable of contributing to development and shaping the future.
The ceremony recognised 10 winning entities across three main pillars, honouring their pioneering policies and institutional practices that have contributed to fostering inclusion, establishing equal opportunities, and improving the quality of life for People of Determination in various sectors.
The awards include, under the Inclusive Service pillar: Miral – Best Inclusive Tourism and Leisure Service for the Inclusive and Accessible Guest Journey at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi; the National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Best Inclusive Service in the Third Sector for the Multiple Sclerosis Support Line, along with a financial grant of AED500,000 to support its initiatives; the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) – Best Inclusive Transport and Mobility Service for the Inclusive School Transport service; Zayed University (Abu Dhabi) – Best Inclusive Educational Service – Government Sector for Student Accommodations; Al Dhafra Private Academy – Best Inclusive Educational Service – Private Sector for the Academic Empowerment Program based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles; and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi – Best Inclusive Health Service – Private Sector for Neurology Patient Care. Under the Inclusive Employment pillar, the awards include ADNOC Group – Winner – Government Sector category; and e& Group – Winner – Private Sector category. And under the Accessibility (Physical & Digital) pillar, the awards include Higher Colleges of Technology (Baniyas) – Winner – Government Sector; and Reem Hospital – Winner – Private Sector.
His Excellency Shamis Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Chairman of DCD, noted that the award is an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Strategy for People of Determination. It aims to motivate institutions to adopt distinguished and sustainable policies. He highlighted key impact indicators; quality of life for People of Determination and their families has risen by 12.5 per cent; general awareness and inclusion by 29.7 per cent; inclusion in education increased by 10 per cent; and economic participation by 7.9 per cent.
His Excellency concluded by stating that DCD will continue to work with its partners to develop a more integrated and empowering social system. This will be achieved by relying on data and considering the role played by every segment of the community in the national development journey, thereby contributing to strengthening Abu Dhabi's role as a global model for the empowerment of People of Determination.
The ceremony also marked the launch of IncluCoin, introduced by DCD in collaboration with the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an, the Zayed Authority for People of Determination and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates.
The limited-edition IncluCoin represents a pioneering community initiative designed to support and fund projects and programmes that promote the inclusion of People of Determination and improve their quality of life.
The Damj Award is part of Abu Dhabi’s ongoing efforts to embed a culture of inclusion and promote equal opportunities. It aims to incentivise entities and institutions to adopt more inclusive policies, practices and services. These efforts contribute to the empowerment of People of Determination and enhance their active participation in all aspects of life, positively impacting their quality of life, independence and role as partners in development.
The award serves as a qualitative and innovative tool designed to encourage entities and institutions to improve their performance in the field of inclusion. It promotes the adoption of best practices that guarantee equal opportunities, enhance accessibility and support the participation of People of Determination across all sectors.
