Dear Colleagues and Fellow Engineers,
Peace, mercy and blessings of God
Initially, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed
Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; his brother, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces;
their brothers, members of the Supreme Council, Emirates rulers; and all UAE people on this great
occasion. It marks a new dawn on this good land because of the founder's strong will. It is the anniversary
of forming the United Arab Emirates. We ought to supplicate to Allah, the Almighty, to bless the souls of
the federation founders: the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al
Maktoum. May Allah keep their good memory in the minds of all people, have mercy on them and make
paradise their abode.
This year is about to end, adding a new year to the history of the Society of Engineers ­ UAE (SOE
­ UAE). I would like to pinpoint a number of achievements: the SOE ­ UAE organized the 4th Arab
Tunneling Conference, hosted the 20th Gulf Engineering Forum, in which the youth played a vital role.
The SOE ­ UAE believes in this role as the major factor for achieving development and sustainability. We
are keen all the time on achieving our vision which we have adhered to since the establishment of the
SOE ­ UAE: adopting the best engineering practices in UAE.
The development process never stops in the UAE; it has become a role model among the developed
countries in the fields of construction, urban development and modern technology. The UAE has also
become a pioneer in the field of tunneling and the exploitation of underground space. The Dubai Metro
project is the first of its kind in the Middle East, particularly among other driverless metro projects. Excavation
works and the mega tunnel projects are expanding to achieve smoothness and flow of providing solutions
that overcome all current crises. Notably, the SOE ­ UAE plays a pivotal role in spreading the tunnels
culture and underground space use for achieving sustainability in the UAE engineering sector.
I have the pleasure to invite all people to attend the World Tunnel Congress, which is organized by the
SOE ­ UAE and will be held on April 2018, in Dubai. Dubai has been selected to be the first destination
in the Middle East to host this great event in the field of tunneling and underground space use. Its fame
in the fields of engineering and construction in general, and tunneling and underground space use in
particular, is renowned globally.
Finally, I am full of hope that the World Tunnel Congress ­ Dubai 2018 will be a source of pride and
a model. We have full confidence in the SOE ­ UAE administration, and appreciate the keen efforts
to organize a prestigious event, reflecting UAE's progress. The SOE ­ UAE has always succeeded in
organizing big events: locally, regionally and globally. We hope that everyone gets the desired benefit.
Allah is the grantor of success
Eng. Dawoud A. Al Hajri
President of Society of Engineers - UAE

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