Concluding the Innovation Month of the Year of Sustainability with the Second Symposium in its Cultural Season,
The National Library and Archives organized a specialized symposium entitled “Innovation, the Approach to Excellence for a Sustainable Society”

The National Library and Archives concluded the Innovation Month with its second symposium entitled “Innovation, the Approach to Excellence for a Sustainable Society” within the context of its cultural season 2023. The symposium stressed that focusing on innovation is fundamental for a sustainable future as it supports achievement and success, and that innovation and creativity should be instilled among generations. This symposium is one of the NLA’s initiatives for the Year of Sustainability; it highlights the UAE’s achievements, efforts and inspiring strategies to maintain sustainability.
The symposium was introduced by Engineer Anwar Al Shammari, the first Emirati validator and assessor of engineering projects. She talked about innovation in the UAE and defined it as a developed, tested and implemented idea that serves public interest and might be in the form of a new product or service, or an update of internal processes based on proposing a policy, thinking differently or cessation of certain practices that haven’t proven successful. She then differentiated between innovation and creativity. Creativity is the ability to generate novel ideas using innovative tools while innovation entails the implementation of these ideas in real life.
Al Shammari discussed the importance of innovation, its fields, best practices and implementation stages in the UAE as well as the global innovation index, innovation in organizations and the future trends. She supported her information with several real examples of modern technologies. Furthermore, she reviewed some of the innovation tools and challenges, traits of innovation leader, role of institutional leadership in implementing innovation concepts, qualifying human resources, providing innovative and positive environment and motivating employees.
Dr. Wadima Ghanem Bin Hamouda Al Dhahri, Assistant Professor at Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities, talked about creativity and innovation from concept to skills. She started with the Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho’s quote: “A goal without a plan is just a wish”.
She then pointed out that innovation is change, creation of new processes or introduction of new products that are more efficient and able to solve a problem. She gave the proof of the wheel invention, which led to the invention of vehicles in addition to the invention of the light bulb, confirming that all major inventions are very simple and surprising. The speaker then explained the traditional method to solve a problem, which starts with problem evaluation and setting a workplan and then an operational plan. At the end come the review and assessment.
She stopped at the traditional method and new strategies.
To prove her information, Dr. Wadima presented green buildings and the journey of “Zayed Ambition 2), which is the longest space mission in the history of Arabs and is a part of the UAE astronaut programme. This mission was carried out by the Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi.
The third speaker was Mr. Saeed Belhoul, Executive Director and Expert in information security and its technologies. He shed the light on the sustainability path at the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (“Authority”), indicating that in accordance with the UAE strategy for maintaining environment, saving natural resources and reducing carbon footprint and global warming, the Authority implemented the highest international standards for green buildings. That is why the Authority has received the leadership certificate for energy and environment designs.
Belhoul discussed, in detail, the sustainability path at the Authority and the sustainable working environment in its building as well as operation. He presented the digital services design standards in the UAE and highlighted the federal electronic network, which is one of the Authority’s main strategic initiatives, the high-performance internet gateway, government services link, digital identity, cloud infrastructure, etc.
Ms. Marwa Al Naqi, an expert in commercial transactions, tackled innovation and future industry, DEWA as a model. She started her talk with a quote by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai: "The future belongs to those who can imagine it, design it and execute it. It isn't something you await, but rather create.”.
She then introduced the Authority as a leading sustainable and innovative international institution along with its strategic plan. Having presented the Authority’s objectives, vision, mission, theme and values, Marwa listed some of its achievements and initiatives and provided some promising figures and facts about the Authority.
At the end of the symposium, Mr. Farhan Al Marzooqi, Director of Corporate and Community Outreach Department at the NLA, honored the speakers and awarded certificates of appreciation and shields.