DUBAI: Under the patronage of the H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the Emirates Scout Association (ESA) will organise the 33rd Arab Scout Camp from December 15th to 25th, 2023, in the Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve under the theme “Scouting A Sustainable Approach”, with the participation of more than 1,500 scouts representing 19 Arab countries.
The ten-day jamboree is being held under the supervision of Arab Scout Organisation – Arab Scout Region.
The camp is the largest youth scouting event at the Arab level and has been held for more than 69 years. The UAE’s hosting of the event for the first time in the history of Arab scouting camps is a testament to the association’s commitment to the camp’s slogan of promoting sustainability in the protected area.
Dr. Salem Abdulrahman Al Darmaki, Board Chairman of the ESA, and Head of the Camp’s Higher Organisning Committee, told a press conference at Dubai Police Officers Club tod
ay that the jamboree is the largest regional scouting event in which scouts from all over the Arab world participate. It has been held every two years since 1954. The country’s hosting of this important regional event comes for the first time.
‘The ESA decided to hold it in the Emirate of Dubai, specifically in the Al Marmoum Desert Reserve, days after the conclusion of the COP 28 to confirm that the UAE’s pledges to address climate change in various ways and means is an approach adopted by the wise leadership, and the UAE Scouts are working to follow this path,’ he added.
He stressed that protecting and caring for natural reserves is a significant activity that the scouting movement is concerned with through scouting programmes as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, which are given special attention by the UAE government.
Khalil Rahma, Secretary-General of the Emirates Scouts Association and Commander-in-Chief of the camp, said that the number of male participants in the camp is 1,200 scouts and le
aders, in addition to 300 female guides and leaders. The total number of participants from the United Arab Emirates is 700 participants, both males and females, making them the largest delegation in the history of Emirates Scouts participation in scout camps.
Refaat Elsebai. Director, Deputy Regional Director, Director of the Educational Methods Department at the Arab Scout Organisation, praised the effort and cooperation of all the camp’s partner agencies, including federal and local government agencies in the Emirate of Dubai, for providing all needs and removing all means that would provide a distinctive stay and provide a safe environment that helps to achieve well-being and happiness for all participants.
The camp programme will include a range of activities and planned activities to support sustainability, starting with the Development Village, which will include a set of milestones that focus on achieving comprehensive development for participants, with a focus on future skills, promoting digital tra
nsformation, recycling, and achieving sustainability for scouts, whether at the level of preparation and qualification or participating in programmes implemented in cooperation with local and federal entities that enhance the vision of the camp. This is in addition to the Sustainable Development Village, which will bear the slogan “COP28” and will include programmes related to sustainable development goals.
Source: Emirates News Agency