Dubai: Some one million people in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will join a global environment awareness campaign next month and will pledge action to ensure a clean and sustainable environment, the Khaleej Times reported on Thursday.

During the three-day 'Mission Green Earth - Stand up and Take Action 2008' campaign Oct 17-19, people across the country will stand up in their homes, communities, schools and colleges, organisations and institutions and read a pledge in support of the UN Millennium Development Goals with a focus on environmental sustainability.

The "stand up" will be reported along with a photograph to be added to the global count for the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of people standing up for a cause.

Participants will pledge to conserve energy and water and reduce waste by recycling. They will also be motivated to plant trees and plants.

Campaign spokesperson Rugmani Prabhakar said the organisers, including the Art of Living (AOL) and the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), are confident one million UAE residents would participate.

"It's happening wherever you are. Just assemble at your school or business, take a photo and send it to us," she said. "It needs to happen. People need to realise 'This is my responsibility'."

The campaign will be held under the patronage of UN Messenger of Peace Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE, with the support of UNDP, UNEP and the International Humanitarian City (IHC).

The annual campaign has been spearheaded by the UN Millennium Campaign (UNMC), a UN agency advocating at a global scale the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - an eight-point road map with measurable targets including ending poverty and achieving a safer, more prosperous and equitable life for all by 2015.

Last year in UAE, 98,000 people stood up to support the campaign.

This year's campaign aims at mobilising and engaging people in UAE, collectively and individually, in support of sustainable development. IANS