The focus and determination of the UAE to be counted among the most dynamic nations in the world is yielding rich results as a multitude of surveys, regional as well as international, reiterate its impressive achievements.
The Arab Youth Survey, an annual exercise conducted since 2008 by a leading public relations agency in the UAE, has in its 2014 edition presented heart-warming conclusions on the country’s eminence on the global stage. For the third time in a row, the UAE has been voted as the No 1 choice of country Arab youth would like to live in. What’s more, there has been an 8 per cent increase in the number of respondents opting for the UAE, as compared to 2013. The UAE also topped the list as the country that deserves to be the most emulated in the region. This speaks volumes about two major realities.
Firstly, the success of the UAE in transforming itself into a role model for other countries. The overwhelming preference for the UAE, which beat even the US in the survey, is in synchrony with 2013 UN World Happiness Rankings where it was endorsed as the ‘happiest Arab country’ and placed 17th in the world rankings.
For a country so young, it is a stupendous feat for which it is garnering the appreciation it richly deserves. Second, the survey attests to the shrewdness of the Arab youth in contextualising their aspirations for stability and progress, a phenomenon that holds great significance for policy makers and thought leaders in the region as they shape their tomorrow.
