Arab States

United Arab Emirates

• © UNESCO/Dominique Roger
• Desert flower

The country is covered by the UNESCO Cluster Office Doha, in Qatar.

The people of the Gulf have always depended on the marine and coastal resources. A number of intertidal and marine ecosystems exist there, with a broad variety of habitats and biological diversity. The United Arab Emirates is participating in an effort to assess coastal resources and map oil spill sensitivity, to serve as a basis for efficient mitigation actions and sound management.

Also, the first biosphere reserve in the country, the Marawah Biosphere Reserve, was established in September 2007. It is of particular importance for the protection of the marine and costal ecosystems and fragile habitats, such as sea grass beds, coral reefs and mangroves. The world’s second largest population of Dugongs finds shelter and food in this site.

Below you can access the projects that are currently being implemented in the country within the framework of UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Sector.  

Freshwater

- UNESCO Chair in Environment and Water Resources, established in 2003 at Ajman University of Science and Technology More 

People, Biodiversity and Ecology

Biosphere Reserve (WNBRs)

Oceans

- UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System programme (IOTWS)

Earth Sciences

- Quaternary Land-Ocean Interactions (IGCP; Project 495)

Basic Sciences

- UNESCO Chair in Petroleum Engineering, established in 1998 at the United Arab Emirates University More 

Coasts and Small Islands

- Tasks for coastal resources assessments and oil spill sensitivity mapping in the Arab States of the Gulf More

Women in Science 

- Professor Lihadh AL-GAZALI (United Arab Emirates, UAE). L'Oréal-UNESCO Laureate 2008 for Africa and the Arab States. For the characterization of new hereditary diseases. Prof. AL-GAZALI has defined several new syndromes and contributed to the clinical and molecular characterization of many disorders. She established a registry for monitoring birth defects for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the first registry from an Arab country to gain membership in the International Clearinghouse of Birth Defects based in Roma.