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Abu Dhabi / WAM
Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, has said that the UAE supports the aspirations of Arab youth by launching initiatives and programmes that encourage their participation in creating a better future for themselves and their countries.
In a statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), she said, “Believing in the youth is part of the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Therefore, the UAE, in cooperation with other Arab countries, aims to promote the role of the youth, reinforce their capacities, and encourage them to innovate and acquire knowledge, to promote their positive role in achieving the sustainable development of their communities.”
She added that developing the skills of Arab youth and reinforcing their ties with traditional values begin by ensuring key requirements, including higher education, training and employment, as well as empowerment and reinforcing their participation in various key issues.
The UAE has become an incubator for Arab youth, through hosting many events and initiatives, especially the Arab Youth Centre, which was announced at the World Government Summit 2017.
The centre is launching initiatives, led by Arab youth, to enable them to contribute to the sustainable development process, as well as organising annual youth events and publishing annual publications.
The number of participants in the “One Million Arab Programmers Initiative” reached over 375,000 and trained over 22,000 computer science graduates.
The participants of the initiative came from over 150 countries in five continents, and their training was supervised by over 3,600 experts and teachers, totalling over 1.5 million training hours.
The initiative’s first annual meeting announced a virtual learning platform for its participants, in cooperation with the “TeachMeNow” platform, to facilitate communication with teachers and trainers within virtual classrooms. A total of 250 participants were also awarded the “NANODegree Award” for their excellence and active participation.
The digital platform, “Arab Youth Opportunities,” which was launched by the UAE in February, aims to assess the needs of Arab youth and provide them with opportunities to change their lives, learn about the labour market, and invest in their capacities.