Dubai: The Year of Reading is the start of a movement in UAE society to create a reading-conscious generation equipped to lead a new era of development in the country, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said.

Shaikh Mohammad was speaking during a retreat that brought together 100 influential Emirati figures to draw up a general framework and discuss national initiatives to consolidate reading as a lifelong habit among the younger generation.

The slogan of the year 2016 will be ‘The UAE Reads’ as suggested during the retreat. A hashtag #uaereads was trending on Twitter yesterday.

“The 100-Retreat aims to set a 10-year strategy and sustainable programmes and initiatives to bring about real change in the coming generations and solidify reading as a tradition in our society,” Shaikh Mohammad said.

“We are optimistic about an educated generation and people who read their history preparing for the future. Every father, mother, official and all those concerned about the future of our children are our partners in the Year of Reading. We want reading to be a habit at every school, department, office, household and all facilities, parks and streets. This is where it all begins, in the 100-Retreat,” Shaikh Mohammad added.

A total of 100 ideas and initiatives were discussed during the retreat.

Shaikh Mohammad issued instructions to set up a Higher Committee to supervise 2016 as the Year of Reading as declared by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The committee, chaired by Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, will include government officials from the Ministry of Culture, youth and Community Development, Ministry of Education, as well as national figures supervising cultural activities. The committee will also include representatives from the Emirates Writers Union and Emirates Publishers Association.

Integrated strategy

The committee will be tasked with setting an integrated strategic plan and a comprehensive national framework to encourage reading and bring about a behavioural change in the community. It will coordinate efforts and initiatives to establish the UAE as a regional capital of content and knowledge.

The retreat’s participants were divided into six groups covering education, public and private sector, publishing and content, media, and reading for non-Arabic speakers. During the retreat, many ideas were proposed, among which is the forming of a national media team for reading, which will include a number of prominent UAE media figures, writers, academicians and intellectuals. The team will oversee setting up media plans and programmes, as well as organising media events to encourage reading among the public.

Another idea proposed was the launching of a reading competition in cooperation with local papers, magazines and TV channels. The competition will promote media content about the history of the UAE and its cultural achievements.

The attendees suggested organising an annual reading festival that will feature reading activities with the participation of public and private schools and universities. Other ideas and initiatives raised during the retreat included the launch of the best innovative university to encourage reading, launching reading apps and interactive e-publishing platforms, in addition to introducing modules in schools and universities to enhance the reading skills of students, and the importance of forging partnerships between public entities and publishing houses to enable people to borrow books at public places.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince; Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, and other Shaikhs and senior officials were present.