The UAE Government designed many policies to make the youth take part in every sector and at all levels of governance and decision-making, and to infuse them into the national strategy as key stakeholders and actors in the country’s development.

Youth Engagement Policy

The UAE’s mandate is to institutionalise the whole youth sector. The UAE has made big bets on youth and believes that engaging them is the fundamental component to success in the next 50 years of development. 

FYA is therefore part of spearheading the Engagement policy to include the voice of the youth in everything we do. Engaging youth means three core things:

• Engagement is listening 
• Engagement is data capturing
• Engagement is purposeful, inclusive and puts youth and their input as the core of the country’s development strategy. 

The UAE engages youth at regional (through the Arab Youth Centre), national and local levels. It engages its youth in all matters, and it can be evidenced in the policies and initiatives below. 

Emirati Youth Board Membership 

In June 2019, the UAE Cabinet made it mandatory for federal government entities to include young Emiratis (under 30 years old) in the Boards of Directors of their respective entities. It launched an electronic platform for those interested to register and apply to these boards, and on 3rd February 2020, Cabinet approved the appointment of 33 applicants as members of the Boards of Directors for key federal entities. 

The young board members serve two to three-year terms and undergo intensive training. They enjoy similar privileges and benefits as other established board members. The new members are expected to provide creative solutions for national issues and to ensure that youth are given opportunities and that their challenges are resolved at every level.

Youth Councils

In 2017, the UAE government developed Youth Councils as a unique tool to ensure that the youth represent their points of view and needs at all stages of the policy development process. 

Youth Councils were launched with an aim to nurture young leaders by giving them a key role in decision-making and in the development of policies and projects. They provide a platform for youth to lead projects in their field or their emirate. The ecosystem of the Youth Councils is crucial to implementing and executing the UAE’s National Youth Strategy.

There are five Youth Councils which serve as the central form of volunteer governance over many of the Youth initiatives and points of engagement:

● Emirates Youth Council (EYC)

● Local Youth Councils (LYC)

● Global Youth Councils (GYC)

● Inter-Ministerial Councils (IMC)

These function as the representative arms of youth across the UAE’s specific ministries. 

● Corporate Councils 

These function as the representative arms of youth across the UAE’s private and public sector enterprises. 

Youth Participation in Official Delegations policy

In February 2020, the UAE approved the 'Youth Participation in Official Delegations' policy, which ensures the representation of young employees in all UAE official delegations.

Objectives:

• building leaders in the diplomatic field
• integrating a youth perspective into the UAE's international delegations
• activating the youth's role on a global scale
• designing a framework that supports youth representation
• Showcasing the character of UAE youth on the international scene
• promoting the UAE's soft power and highlighting the government's engagement with youth.

The Youth Housing Policy

On 2 June 2020, the UAE Cabinet approved the Youth Housing Awareness Policy to raise youth awareness and provide them with a host of information on the various phases of housing construction.

The policy requires all young applicants (from 18 to 35 years) to complete a training course on the foundations of housing construction as a main requirement to apply for housing assistance at the local and federal level in the UAE.

Federal Youth Authority also developed a ‘Housing 101’ course, which provides instructions on the how to build a house – from conception to construction.

View the full list of Youth Policies.