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The achievements of the Ministry of Federal National Council (FNC) Affairs were driven by the wise directives of UAE’s leadership, asserted Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State for FNC Affairs, during a media briefing titled “10 Years of Achievements” organised by the ministry on October 5, 2016.

The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs prepared an extensive report detailing its role in coordinating between the executive and legislative authorities, as well as its prominent role in promoting political participation, organising the FNC elections, and supporting the National Committees working to cement the UAE’s regional and global status.

H.E. Al Kaabi gave a speech during the media briefing where she lauded the leadership’s wisdom, which inspires continuous innovation and creative work during the coming period, in an effort to develop society and establish the “government of the future”, thus setting an example to the rest of the world.

“In the upcoming period, the ministry’s strategy will focus on improving the relationship between the government and the Federal National Council,” H.E. revealed. “This promotes a culture of political participation and innovation, and ensures the happiness of the people of the UAE. Furthermore, the strategy ensures that all administrative services are provided according to standards of quality, efficiency and transparency.”

The Ministry was keen to develop its strategic plan for the period 2017-2021 in tandem with the formation of the Government of the Future, H.E. assured, continuing that the ministry will work tirelessly to update and develop its projects, and launch innovative initiatives that serve the interests of to the country and its citizens, and support the UAE in its efforts to achieve excellence and leadership.

Innovative Initiatives to Coordinate Between Executive and Legislative Authorities

H.E. Al Kaabi explained that the ministry will launch a series of innovative initiatives as part of its role in the coordination between the government and the Federal National Council. The ministry will also work to promote a culture of political participation among the different segments of society – particularly, the youth, where the ministry will seek to heighten their political awareness and knowledge about the political empowerment programme of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates.

H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s speech on the occasion of the UAE’s thirty-fourth National Day in 2005 is a national agenda with clearly defined objectives, said H.E. Al Kaabi; it seeks to encourage political participation by enhancing the role of the Federal National Council.

H.E. Al Kaabi asserted that the ministry has always dedicated its potentials to implement the political empowerment programme of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “Since its inception, the Ministry of Federal National Council Affairs has been developing systems and procedures to coordinate between the executive and legislative authorities in the government,” H.E. said, “and directing parliamentary efforts towards achieving the interests of the people, in accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

The ministry holds regular meetings with the General Secretariat Federal National Council and with representatives from the cabinet, in addition to organising meetings between government representatives and the Speaker of the Federal National Council.

H.E. Al Kaabi revealed that the ministry played an important role in organising the Federal National Council elections in 2006, 2011, and 2015, adhering to the highest standards of accuracy and transparency – which attracted regional and international interest in the UAE electoral experience.

Integrated System to Manage the Relationship Between the Government and the Council

H.E. explained that, in its efforts to coordinate between the cabinet and the Council and to organise the national elections, the ministry studied 24 regional and international examples. In the past 10 years, the ministry was able to develop an integrated system to manage the relationship between the government and the Council, dispatching qualified coordinators to all ministries, knowledgeable in the work of the Federal National Council.

“In the past decade, our coordination efforts led to successful discussions of 121 proposed laws and 53 general subjects,” H.E. revealed, “they also provided answers for 405 questions raised by members of the Federal National Council to the ministers.”

H.E. Al Kaabi reiterated that promoting political participation remains a top priority for the ministry, which devised modern innovative channels to encourage this culture by communicating it to all segments of society – such as young people and women – and adopting procedures to enhance their political awareness and their knowledge of the role of the Federal National Council in achieving the sustainable development of the society.

The youth have received much of the ministry’s attention in accordance with the leadership’s directives, which considers them to be one of the most important segments of society. The ministry works to not only educate young Emiratis but to also enable them to effectively contribute to the development of the UAE. To that end, the ministry events targeting the youth have been organised, such as an annual forum designed specifically to promote political awareness among university students – which enabled them to actively participate in organising the Federal National Council elections in 2015.

Raising Political Awareness and Promoting a Culture of Political Participation

As part of its efforts to spread political awareness in society, the ministry established a department specialising in promoting a culture of political participation. The department launched innovative initiatives and organised periodical events to educate the public about the achievements of the Federal National Council, optimally utilising communication channels in ways that respect the political, economic, social, and cultural traits of the UAE.

What is more, the ministry signed nine MoUs with various institutions to develop 118 activities in cities across the UAE to spread political awareness to more than 13,000 people. In addition to that, it organised visits by federal government employees to the Federal National Council to allow them to learn about the FNC’s role. Within the first six months of this year, 1,364 employees from more than 85 federal and local government entities – as well as from social and non-profit organisations – have taken part in these visits.

Furthermore, the ministry introduced a range of special media initiatives such as the Political Empowerment Bulletin published on the ministry’s website, in addition to permanently dedicating pages in Khalid Magazine – in collaboration with Dubai Police – as well as publishing the annual Political Participation Magazine. The ministry has also created 16 publications covering topics related to parliamentary life, the FNC, and the constitution.

Supporting National Committees and Conducting Research and Analysis

The report also revealed that the ministry has been assigned many tasks that contribute to strengthening the country’s regional and international position. One such task was to establish and offer technical, logistic, and media support to the permanent committee tasked with monitoring developments that affect the country’s reputation, as well as to the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking and the FNC Elections Committee. The ministry also worked through its R&D department to conduct more than 23 research assignments that proved to be a great support for officials and decision makers in the UAE.

Organizing the elections of the Federal National Council

The report showed the significant role that the ministry and the general secretariat of the FNC Elections Committee played in organising the elections in an atmosphere of transparency. The ministry was in charge of training the teams in the polling stations, and organised several media campaigns that contributed to educate the public about the Federal National Council and the importance of active participation in the electoral process.

For the first time in the nation’s history, the ministry prepared the legal framework for the elections of the Federal National Council, ratified by the FNC Elections Committee. What is more, a variety of modern and sophisticated electronic systems were employed to facilitate and regulate the electoral processes, including: the first electronic system to deal with authorities, the electronic system for the candidates, and the system that monitors the elections campaigns. The ministry also introduced an electronic voting system and another for the announcement of the winners – the first of its kind in the region, and characterised by the highest standards of accuracy and transparency.

The report also mentioned the role of the ministry in supervising media affairs with regards to parliamentary life, and delivering a comprehensive message that resonates with an advanced national vision to spread the culture of political participation.