The UAE’s vital role to play in the International Youth Day 2023
International Youth Day 2023 will be held on Saturday, August 12, 2023. The United Nations runs International Youth Day or the IYD. This UN effort includes education, jobs, the environment, delinquency, girls and young women, HIV/AIDS, and intergenerational interactions as priority topics for youth development and protection. On the occasion of the International Year of the Youth’s tenth anniversary in 1995, these were formally chosen.
Every year on August 12, IYD honors youth and recognizes the issues that today’s youth may encounter.
The United Nations created International Youth Day in 2000 to recognize the contributions young people contribute to a variety of fields, including education, employment, conflict resolution, and social justice.
The UAE, an innovative and adaptable country that it is, is not new when it comes to recognizing such issues encountered by its younger residents and citizens. One of the main challenges faced by the UAE Youth is education.
There is a wide range of educational institutions in the UAE to cater to students from all backgrounds. However, students, as well as their families, tend to be particular when it comes to choosing a good school or university, and the UAE government is ready to help.
The Ministry of Education offers scholarships for UAE nationals. The Department of Education and Knowledge offers Abu Dhabi Scholarships for Distinguished Students. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) provides scholarships to the best UAE students who exhibit the desire to become world-class engineers or scientists.
Scholarships are not limited to government assistance and to UAE nationals. The top universities in the UAE offer a variety of scholarships to citizens and residents.
Employment is another concern for UAE youth. To resolve this concern of Emirati students, the Emiratisation law was implemented. It is a regulation that is enforced on businesses in the UAE’s private sector to increase the proportion of UAE citizens working there. According to the regulation, private sector businesses must hire at least 2% of all skilled workers annually from the Emirati workforce.
In other words, the corporation should employ at least one Emirati for every 50 competent workers, whichever is lower.
“It is my duty as the leader of the young people of this country to encourage them to work and to exert themselves in order to raise their own standards and to be of service to the country. The individual who is healthy and of a sound mind and body but who does not work commits a crime against himself and society.”
— Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
The UAE supports their youth when it comes to achieving their dreams, especially when those dreams contribute to the development of humanity in the fields of Science, Engineering, and innovation.
Take Noora Al Matrooshi as an example. Noora is the first Emirati woman in space. She went to the ISS in 2019.
As it aims to become a global participant, the UAE has an ambitious goal for its national space sector. It has already made significant strides in recent years. The Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) was created in 2006, followed by the UAE Space Agency in 2014. The MBRSC started its inaugural UAE Astronaut Programme three years later, in 2017.
The UAE will launch the much-anticipated and renowned Hope Mars Mission — the Arab world’s first interplanetary expedition — in July 2020. By April 2021, the UAE had invested more than $6 billion in its space sector, and it will be the first Arab country to host the worldwide SpaceOps event in March 2023.
“‘[International Youth Day] is a fitting occasion to recognise and celebrate the youth’s contribution to making a better future so they can deliver more achievements and introduce changes that improve the lifestyle of their community,’’
— Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development.
To encourage young people to hone their skills and passion for science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, the Emirates Young Scientist Competition is held annually.
This allows participants to learn, share knowledge, explore ideas, and collaborate to accomplish real results supported by scientific research, science, and technology, while also instilling creativity and innovation throughout the process.
