Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, opened today (Wednesday) the Federal National Council's third regular session of the 16th legislative chapter, in the presence of Crown Princes and deputy rulers, ministers, diplomats, and senior civil and military officials.
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has issued a federal decree convening the 3rd regular session of 16th legislative chapter of the House.
Shortly before noon, Shaikh Mohammad arrived and was greeted by the guards of honour lining a red carpet.
Pics: On behalf of #UAE President, @HHShkMohd inaugurates the 3rd ordinary session of the 16th legislative chapter of the @fnc_uae pic.twitter.com/MvppxUDRFG
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 25, 2017
After recital from the Holy Quran, Shaikh Mohammad officially opened the council by seeking Allah’s blessings and praying to Him to aid in establishing what is in the good of the nation and the citizens.
Ten committees and an ad-hoc committee to respond to the President’s speech will later be elected.
Dr Amal Al Qubaisi, FNC Speaker, vowed that the council will work diligently to complete legislations necessary to effectively fight violence and terrorism.
She affirmed that all of us need to work closely and cooperate with the government to deal with the changes that surround us, and new challenges for our state and the entire world.
Al Qubaisi said that the strategic plan depends on strengthening cooperation and coordination between government bodies, and supporting efforts aiming to achieve the UAE’s general policies and national vision, as well as bolstering social cohesion. The strategy aims to support the engagement of citizens in FNC activities, express their ideas about national issues and develop the legislative and control performance of the FNC.
During this session, the House will review a number of draft laws including 2016 closing accounts, safety of products and certificates of origin or documents used in international trade.
Since the beginning of this legislative chapter on November 18, 2015, the House have passed 32 draft laws and adopted 123 motions during the debate of 10 issues addressing education, scientific research, environment, justice, transport and services delivered to the public. The House have also put 102 questions to ministers concerning various sectors.
The FNC is one of the UAE’s five federal authorities, as established by the Constitution. Its first session was opened on December 2, 1972. The FNC’s official mandate is to provide for public debate of legislation. The FNC discusses proposals and plans of various federal ministries, entities and public institutions.
There are 40 members of the FNC, apportioned among the UAE’s seven emirates, with eight seats each for Abu Dhabi and Dubai, six seats each for Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah and four seats each for Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
Since 2006, half of FNC members have been elected to serve four-year terms. The other half of the body comprises officials who have been appointed by the Ruler’s Court of the UAE’s seven emirates.
