Dubai: The Ministry for Federal National Council Affairs officials met with youth to build political awareness and empower them through political participation.
The ‘Building Political Awareness for University Students Forum’ was held in collaboration with UAE University with the theme ‘The Youth and Building the Future’.
The first session, titled ‘Youth and Political Participation in the UAE’, examined the methods applied by the Federal National Council to handle youth issues while the second session — ‘Youth and the Future Strategy of the UAE’ — underlined the role that the higher education system plays in building and developing a knowledge economy.
Noora Al Kaabi, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, said the country’s leadership places great emphasis on the youth and spares no effort in preparing them to become the leaders of tomorrow.
“This year’s edition touches on novel themes in order to raise awareness among the youth and better equip them to play a part in formulating plans and strategies for the future of the UAE,” Al Kaabi said.
Al Kaabi explained that the ministry hopes the forum will spike university students’ interest in politics and public affairs, and introduce them to the parliamentary process in the UAE.
“Enhancing political participation among the UAE’s youth is a top priority for the ministry,” Al Kaabi said. “We consider it of utmost importance to raise awareness among all segments of society regarding the importance of political participation. This is where programmes and initiatives like this forum come in; they serve to encourage the youth to play a bigger part in the sustainable development of the UAE.”
Meanwhile, Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Vice-Chancellor of UAE University, lauded this cooperation between the ministry and UAE University to raise political awareness among university students.
“The youth should be at the core of any effort to build the future of the country,” Dr Al Nuaimi noted. “The forum plays a pivotal role in the establishment of a culture of political participation among students. Previous editions of the forum successfully educated students about the basics of political participation in the UAE.”
