Diplomats, educators, environmental leaders, and students gathered at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi on Thursday for Her Legacy, Our Promise, a tribute event honouring the life and work of renowned conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE.
Organised by Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots UAE, the event celebrated grassroots sustainability achievements across the Emirates and marked a renewed commitment to expanding youth-led environmental initiatives nationwide.
The evening included awards recognising schools, educators, and community organisations for contributions to environmental education, wildlife conservation, and community engagement.
Roots & Shoots, founded by Dr. Goodall in Tanzania in 1991, has engaged more than 200,000 people across the UAE. The programme empowers students to design and implement local solutions addressing environmental, animal welfare and community challenges.
Her Excellency Geraldine McCafferty, British Ambassador to the UAE, said:
“I was honoured to be part of the Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots Celebration and Awards, and to present this year’s awards to the young people, teachers and communities advancing Jane’s legacy. As Jane taught us, hope is not passive — it’s grounded in action. Facts alone don’t change behaviour; connection does. When people feel connected to nature and to each other, they protect what they know and value what they feel part of. It was inspiring to celebrate these leaders of today, who are already choosing to act and create a better future for us all.”
Marjan Faraidooni Chief of Education and Culture at Expo City Dubai said:
“Our partnership with Roots & Shoots began a very special chapter for Terra in January 2024. Terra became home to the program’s first permanent office in the region creating a base from which young people across the UAE could be supported and empowered to act for people, animals and the environment.
“As we approach one year since Dr. Jane’s passing, her absence is felt deeply. Her spirit is also present this evening in every young person being recognized. Every educator who nurtures their ideas and every act of courage, compassion and service inspired by her example. To all our awards recipients congratulations, Doctor Jane believed that each of you has the power to make all the difference”.
Tara Golshan, Executive Director, Jane Goodall Institute, said:
“Jane showed us that the future is not something we simply wait for – it is something we create. She opened doors, changed minds and inspired generations to believe that their actions could make a difference. Now it is our turn to write what comes next.
Jane’s passing does not mark the end of her story, or the end of the movement she created. It is a moment for all of us to step forward and decide what that story becomes. Roots & Shoots is here, it is growing, and its purpose has never been more important.
Our role is not simply to preserve Jane’s legacy, but to advance it – to take her vision into new places, to reach new generations and to create new possibilities for people, animals and our planet. We cannot do that alone. We need schools, educators, partners, funders, businesses, communities and young people to join us in writing this next chapter. Dr. Jane Goodall gave generations of people a reason for hope. The responsibility now belongs to all of us to continue turning that hope into action.
If we do that together – with curiosity, courage, compassion and creativity – I have no doubt that the story ahead can be every bit as extraordinary as the one Jane began.”
The Roots & Shoots programme in the UAE is supported by Terra, Expo City Dubai, whose sponsorship enables Roots & Shoots to continue providing young people with opportunities to learn, participate and take meaningful action.
Professor Nathalie Martial-Braz, Chancellor of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, said: “Dr Jane Goodall’s legacy reminds us of the power of knowledge, perseverance and the courage to pursue one’s ambitions. As a pioneering woman and anthropologist, she challenged barriers in a field where women had long faced limitations, becoming an inspiration for women and young people around the world. At Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, we are honoured to host Her Legacy, Our Promise and celebrate an extraordinary life that reflects our own belief in the transformative power of education. As a university, our role is to equip future generations with the knowledge, skills and determination to pursue their ambitions, overcome challenges and contribute to a better world.”
In the UAE, Dr. Jane’s legacy continues through every student who chooses to act, every educator who gives young people the confidence to lead, every conservationist working to protect the natural world, and every partner helping to turn ideas into meaningful change.
Her Legacy, Our Promise marked not an ending, but a new beginning: an opportunity to honour an extraordinary life while looking towards the future of the movement Dr. Jane created.
Roots & Shoots UAE will continue to build on Dr. Jane’s vision by empowering young people to understand the world around them, identify where change is needed, and recognise that they have the ability – and the responsibility – to be part of that change.