Dubai: The new UAE Cabinet has been announced on Wednesday that stresses the country's development path -- led by a young, gender-sensitive and competent team running the government with an eye for the future.
Apart from the way it was announced -- through Twitter, which had riveted both local and international media covering the shakeup -- the composition of the Cabinet itself had revealed the way forward for the Gulf powerhouse.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the new Cabinet in the microblogging site Twitter at 5pm Dubai time.
"The new Cabinet focuses on the future, youth, happiness, developing education, and combating climate change," said Shaikh Mohammad.
After discussion with my brother Mohammed bin Zayed and the approval of the President, we hereby announce the new UAE cabinet— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 10, 2016
There are eight new ministers in the 12th Cabinet. Of the eight new ministers, five are women. There are a total of eight women now in the new 29-member UAE Cabinet.
The average age of newly-appointed ministers is 38 years, according to Dubai Media Office.
8 new ministers in the new cabinet,5 of them are women,average age of the newly appointed ministers is 38 years #UAEpic.twitter.com/pIEtpcEtck — Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 10, 2016
Here is the 12th UAE Cabinet. This is the team which will achieve our nation’s aspirations pic.twitter.com/aHgBWBa556— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 10, 2016
Shamma AlMazrui as Minister of State for Youth Affairs.She’s 22 yrs old, with Masters’ from Oxford, and BSc from NYU pic.twitter.com/cRq3bG5krT— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) February 10, 2016
Meet the UAE's first ever Minister of State for Happiness, Ohoud Al Roumi :) via @gulf_news pic.twitter.com/0YVlxjzzhn— tabloid! (@GulfNewsTabloid) February 10, 2016
Reaction from the international media -- from the East to the West -- was immediate. The Washington Post raved about the creation of the Minister of State for Happiness portfolio.
Washington Post: #UAE has proven itself forward-thinking,so perhaps the minister of state for happiness will be a success— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 10, 2016
Xinhua:@HHShkMohd made the announcement of new cabinet on his Twitter account, 2 days after he revealed plans to restructure the UAE Cabinet— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 10, 2016
Major overhaul
The sweeping changes were announced by Shaikh Mohammad during a live dialogue on Twitter as part of the three-day World Government Summit.
Mohammad overhauls UAE Government
The new government will have fewer ministries, but more ministers handling national, strategic and dynamic portfolios.
“In the new structure of the federal government, we will have a roadmap for outsourcing most of the government services to the private sector,” Shaikh Mohammad said.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has approved the largest structural changes in the federal government, he added.
