Under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dr. Rashid Ahmed bin Fahad, Minister of Environment and Water, today launched the U.A.E. celebrations on the occasion of the 17th National Environment Day, which is being held under the slogan "Green Economy .. Innovation and Sustainability." During a press conference held today in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, Dr. bin Fahad said that the efforts to protect the environment and its development in the U.A.E. has the full support of the wise leadership, which has had a great impact on the prestigious stature attained by the U.A.E. on "the map of global environmental action." He said that the U.A.E. had kept pace and paid attention to the green economy, where the Ministry of Environment and Water paved the way for this approach since 2009 by holding annual conferences about the green economy, in which many experts, interested parties and specialists in the fields of the economy and the environment in both the public and private sectors participated. The press conference was attended by a number of directors of municipalities and representatives of environment authorities in the country as well as a number of Masdar officials.