Al Ain City Municipality announced that 18 parks in Al Ain, along with Al Ain Oasis under the heritage parks category, have won the prestigious international “Green Flag Award” during a ceremony held today at Al Jahili Park.
The award is granted to parks and public facilities that adhere to the highest international standards in sustainable management, environmental quality, and visitor experience.
This achievement crowns the efforts of Al Ain Municipality in developing and managing green spaces according to global best practices, reinforcing Al Ain’s status as one of the most beautiful green cities in the region. It also reflects the Municipality’s commitment to supporting Abu Dhabi’s vision for sustainable development and enhancing quality of life.
The winning parks included the Central Park in Ghanima, Al Saada Park, Al Marouj Al Khadra Park, Al Fuqa Park, and Al Shuwaib Park—which participated for the first time—alongside several other parks that retained the award for 2025 and distinguished themselves through the quality of their facilities, environmental diversity, and sustainability focus.
Eng. Aisha Salem Al Baloushi, Head of the Green Flag Award Preparation Team at Al Ain City Municipality, confirmed that this accomplishment reflects the Municipality’s dedication to elevating the standards of parks and public facilities in line with the Green Flag Award criteria. She noted that having 18 parks win this international recognition out of 19 submitted entries is the result of continuous efforts by technical, engineering, and administrative teams working to enhance the urban environment and improve visitor experience.
She added that three female engineers at Al Ain City Municipality have been qualified and certified as judges for the international Green Flag Award criteria, enabling them to participate in evaluating parks across the UAE. They are currently involved in the assessment of 20 parks in various Emirates.
Chris Wollman, a judge for the Green Flag Award from the United Kingdom, said:
“We are here in Al Ain City to celebrate the achievement of 18 parks winning the Green Flag Award. We evaluate around 2,500 parks worldwide, and parks play a vital role in improving quality of life and community health, as well as strengthening social connections.”
He added: “We started evaluating parks in Abu Dhabi for this award 10 years ago, and now nearly 100 parks across the Emirate have earned it. In Al Ain, 18 parks participated in the submitted award portfolio, and all of them won—this reflects the tremendous effort and dedicated work of the team at Al Ain Municipality.”
Riti Mong Holmes, from London, expressed her happiness in participating in the ceremony announcing the Al Ain parks that won the Green Flag Award. She noted that as judges and volunteers, they clearly felt the great effort and exceptional work carried out by Al Ain Municipality’s teams throughout the evaluation process.
The Green Flag Award is one of the world’s leading recognitions in the field of public park and open-space management. It is granted to entities that implement the best standards in environmental planning, community management, and visitor experience—highlighting the winning parks as sustainable, environmentally friendly recreational destinations.
This achievement serves as a strong motivation to continue advancing development and innovation in the management of parks and public facilities, in alignment with Al Ain City Municipality’s vision to provide a sustainable green environment and world-class public amenities that enhance community wellbeing and happiness.