####New Projects Celebrate UAE’s Year of Reading On Nov. 18, Vice President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, announced plans to establish the Mohammed bin Rashid Library in Dubai. The venture will hold over 4 million books — including e-books and audiobooks — and is expected to be the biggest library in the Arab world after its opening in 2017. Announced to celebrate the Year of Reading, which was declared in 2015 for the year 2016, the library is being developed as a cultural and historical center. “We want this library to serve as a cultural forum, an incubator for knowledge and a civilisation centre in the region,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid. Rashid hopes to promote education and literacy in the country by hosting over 100 cultural and intellectual events in the library, in addition to the massive collection of books that it houses.

Other initiatives to celebrate the Year of Reading include Dubai Reads, a reading drive that will distribute 10,000 books to the public. The project will be carried out in December 2016 by the Dubai Customs Library and Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation.

####Conference for Gender Equality in the Nuclear Industry The Women in Nuclear Global Annual Conference is being held in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 21 and aims to encourage women working in the male-dominated nuclear industry. Held in the Middle East for the first time, the conference precedes the launch of the UAE’s first nuclear plant, expected to be operational in 2020. “This is the newest and most successful new nuclear power build in recent memory … If it is going to be a model for the world, it should have model employees and a big part of that is having women in leadership,” said Lady Barbara Judge, former head of the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority.

The plant is being developed by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and hopes to build a diverse workforce to execute the UAE’s peaceful nuclear energy program. “I believe ENEC’s leadership and involvement in this conference will inspire more Emirati women to look at pursuing a rewarding career in [the] nuclear [industry],” said Chief Executive of ENEC Mohammed Al Hammadi. Women currently make up 20 percent of the project’s staff.

####2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi After a unanimous vote on Nov. 16, the board of directors for the Special Olympics accepted Abu Dhabi’s bid to host the World Games. Recognized by the International Olympics Committee, the Special Olympics will be the first international sporting event held for people with disabilities in the country. Celebrating the announcement, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed tweeted, “We welcome the world’s best athletes to the UAE, congratulate Special Olympics leadership on promoting inclusion and tolerance through sport.”

Special needs experts in the UAE also welcomed the news. Dr. Sharon Waller, whose son is legally blind, hoped that the event would give Abu Dhabi an opportunity to be recognised worldwide for supporting those with disabilities and special needs. Wemmy De Maker, founder of Mawaheb from Beautiful People, an art studio for adults for special needs, said that such events gave them the chance to be part of a greater global platform.

The baton will be handed to Abu Dhabi in March 2017, when the next Special Olympics World Games are held in Austria.

####Abu Dhabi Art 2016 Lights Up Saadiyat Island On Nov. 15, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, inaugurated the eighth edition of Abu Dhabi Art, a five-day program held at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The exhibition featured contemporary artists and galleries from around the globe. Apart from the works on display, the program included performance art pieces, talks and community initiatives.

“Abu Dhabi Art was created to reflect the thriving artistic spirit [and showcase] a diverse program of creative expression that serves as a platform to engage with a global audience. [It aims to] foster Abu Dhabi’s growing artistic awareness for international art trends and strengthen [Abu Dhabi’s] position as a global centre for cultural and artistic expression,” said Mohammad Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority.