UAE minister vows to promote political participation

ABU DHABI, 6th October, 2016 (WAM) -- The Ministry of State for Federal National Council (FNC) Affairs will work to foster a culture of political participation in an innovative manner and advance the relationship between the council and the government to further contribute to the improvement of government performance, Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, said on Wednesday. The ministry's 2017-2021 strategy will focus on improving the relationship between the government and the FNC and promoting a culture of political participation in society, with a focus on the youth, where the ministry will seek to heighten their political awareness and knowledge about the political empowerment programme launched in 2005 by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Al Kaabi said at a media briefing titled "10 Years of Achievements". H.H. Sheikh Khalifa’s speech on the occasion of the UAE’s 34th National Day in 2005 set a national agenda with clearly-defined objectives as it sought to encourage political participation by enhancing the role of the FNC, the minister noted. The ministry works not only to educate young Emiratis but also to empower them to contribute effectively towards development in the UAE, she said. "To this end, the ministry organised events that targeted the youth, including an annual forum designed to promote political awareness among university students, which enabled them to actively participate in organising the FNC elections last year," she added. The ministry's new five-year strategy will contribute towards ensuring the happiness of Emiratis and high quality, transparent and efficient administrative services, while establishing the culture of innovation at work places, she added. The achievements of the ministry in the past 10 years were driven by the directives of the country’s leaders who also inspire continuous innovation and creativity at work in the future to advance society and achieve the government of the future envisaged as global model for other countries. "In the past decade, the ministry's co-ordination led to successful discussions on 121 draft laws, 53 public issues, and provided answers for 405 questions put up by FNC members to the ministers," she said. - (Emirates News Agency, WAM ) http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395300777140.html