Launched under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (People of Determination) and in partnership with Community Development Authority (CDA), Emirates NBD, one of the leading banking groups in the region, has announced the 2017 edition of its annual Unity Run to promote diversity and the social inclusion of people with disabilities (people of determination) in the UAE, and help transform Dubai into a disability-friendly city by 2020.
Led by Emirates NBD’s flagship advocacy platform #TogetherLimitless, the community event will be open to children and adults of all abilities and ages and will be hosted at Dubai Silicon Oasis, the event’s venue partner. Participants will be completing an untimed three kilometer walk followed by a ten kilometer run, wearing customised athletic gear styled to celebrate the UAE flag colours. The run offers free entry to people with disabilities (people of determination) as well as their friends and family, and supports two major UAE educational institutions, Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities and Senses Residential and Day Care Centre, in addition to Emirates Red Crescent.
Speaking at the launch which took place in Majlis Al Rashidiya today, Husam Al Sayed, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Emirates NBD said, “Emirates NBD is proud to launch the second edition of its Unity Run, a milestone athletic and community programme that encourages everyone in the UAE to come together and spread positivity and happiness among people of all abilities. We are grateful to the Executive Council of Dubai and the Higher Committee for their consistent encouragement and support, and will continue to support initiatives that encourage diversity, are accessible for everyone, and aligned to the #MyCommunity vision of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.”
Dr Juma Al Matrooshi, Deputy CEO Operations, & Client Affairs at DSOA said: “We are proud to host the Emirates NBD Unity Run, which is in line with our corporate social responsibility strategy that is based on three key pillars – community, human capital, and the environment. By hosting the Unity Run, we also seek to enhance the overall quality of life and well-being for Dubai Silicon Oasis residents as well as the entire community in the UAE by encouraging people to take a step towards good health through regular exercise.”
Ian Fairservice, Vice Chairman of the Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities said: "We are very excited about the second Emirates NBD Unity Run and deeply appreciative of its support of Al Noor and other charities. Last year's inaugural event was a huge success as well as being tremendous fun and at the same time, very moving. Sharing the morning, walking or running with so many people of different backgrounds and abilities epitomises the "unity" theme and we all wish this year's event continued success".
Ruth Dickinson, Managing Partner - FittHPC, the organisers of the Emirates NBD Unity Run said “The Emirates NBD Unity Run promotes inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities and Dubai’s initiative to be a disability friendly city by 2020. We are delighted to be supporting two exceptional centres of excellence, Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities and Senses Centre. This year it also supports the United Nations International Day for Persons with Disabilities. Participants of all abilities are welcome and encouraged to take part in celebration. We are delighted to partner with Emirates NBD who are great advocates of inclusion, togetherness and empowerment for people with disabilities.”
“Tending to the needs and potential of people of determination is a key part of our mandate at the Community Development Authority,” said Hana Bakkar Al Harthi, Director of CDA’s Social Cohesion Department. “We strive to empower them and integrate them into society so that they can achieve their true potential. With that in mind, we were delighted to work with Emirates NBD to organize this run for People of Determination, as it resonates perfectly with our mission to help them overcome any challenges they may face.”
Nadia Al Khalil Ibrahim Al Sayegh, General Manager, Founder of Senses Centre said in describing why Senses Centre is so special, “Senses is the only residential and care facility for orphans and homeless children with disabilities, and also provides extensive support to families who have more than two to three children with disabilities. We would like to thank Emirates NBD for their support in helping our growing community, and are excited to participate in this year’s Unity Run.”
Isphana Al Khatib, Director Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities said, “The Emirates NBD Unity Run is a great fun event that not only puts a focus on our cause but also provide a wonderful participating opportunity for people with disabilities.”
Since its inception in 2015, the bank’s flagship advocacy platform for people with disabilities (people of determination), #TogetherLimitless has undertaken several initiatives for disability mainstreaming including launching the Careers Network to facilitate workplace inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities, opening sixteen disability-friendly bank branches so far, promoting financial inclusion by offering Sanad card holders (privilege access card developed by CDA for people with disabilities) the Emirates NBD ‘Beyond from Personal Banking’ package, exempt of minimum salary as well as publishing a research report on the banking and financial habits and attitudes of people with disabilities (people of determination) in the UAE. It also runs a long-term social investment programme, PRIDE (People Receiving Independence and Dignity through Empowerment), for people with cognitive disabilities that runs activities of educational inclusion, capacity building, and public awareness.
Registration and tickets for the Emirates NBD Unity Run 2017 can be found here https://dubai.platinumlist.net/event-tickets/58624/the-emirates-nbd-unity-run?show=70392 while further information is available onhttp://unityrun.ae/
