Panel tasked with boosting solidarity

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Cabinet on Monday approved the establishment of a higher ministerial committee tasked with boosting national and communal solidarity in the country.

The committee will be chaired by the minister of culture, youth and community development.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired the Cabinet meeting, which was held in the presence of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

The decision to set up the committee is in line with President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan's call to improve national and communal solidarity in the UAE community.

Significance

During deliberations, Shaikh Mohammad noted the significance of the President's call, which he said "reflects integrated vision of the leadership based on realisation of sustainable development in the UAE, whose important components are community development, human resources development and solidarity".

The members of the committee include the minister of social affairs as deputy chairperson and ministers of education, health, labour apart from Minister of State Maitha Al Shamsi and the chairman of the National Media Council.

The committee will seek to coordinate and mobilise efforts at the public and private sector levels to inculcate the concept of family bonds and solidarity in the community.

The Council of Ministers' set a timeframe of 2010-12 for the committee to create a general framework of its plan, programme and communications and submit it to the Cabinet to take appropriate resolutions.