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Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said that youth are the strength of any nation and its hope for a better future, and the country’s prosperity and future lie in their hands.

"UAE youth represent the potential of our nation and are the source of its wealth. Today, we are drawing the future of our nation; we are investing our wealth and directing our efforts and plans towards developing the skills and expertise of our youth as they will drive our progress," His Highness said. "UAE is always keen to support its youth, and is committed to empower younger generations and create new opportunities for them. We are also keen to prepare the new generation that is ready to be creative and innovative to help us achieve our ambitions for even greater prosperity," Sheikh Mohammed added.

His Highness made these remarks when he was launching the UAE National Agenda for Youth in the presence of Dubai Crown Prince HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai HH Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Agenda is the first of its kind in the UAE that aims to provide a conducive environment for UAE youth to achieve their objectives and enhance their leadership.

HH Sheikh Mohammed also said that taking care of the youth is a priority for the government, and the National Agenda for Youth aims to empower them to play a role in developing the country, as well as provide them with opportunities to sharpen their skills and unleash their leadership potential. The Agenda creates a national framework and a vision for serving the development needs of the youth and making them global role models.

The launch event was also attended by Cabinet Member and Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Youth Shamma Al Mazrui, Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs Ahmed bin Juma Al Zaabi, and Director-General of Dubai's Department of Protocol and Hospitality Khalifa Saeed Suleiman.

The Agenda aims to achieve a number of strategic objectives centred around enhancing the contribution of youth to local economic development by creating a conducive environment for their development. It also aims to strengthen their sense of belonging, and pride in their identity and culture. The Agenda also seeks to boost the ability of the youth to play leadership roles and increase their productivity.

The Agenda outlines how it will speed up the achievement of its objectives. This includes a policy for empowering youth and increasing their participation in decision making through a number of initiatives and actions such as capturing their input and feedback on policies that affect them through the UAE Youth Council and the local councils. The Agenda also aims to set up a dedicated youth council in every ministry that works on empowering youth, as well as launch international youth councils that review international best practices and implement them the UAE.

In addition, the policy aims to create a national centre for data on youth, with the aim of collecting youth-related data that will support the decision making process, and launch a virtual interactive platform that links youth with UAE government, in addition to the annual youth retreat that fosters a dialogue between UAE leadership and its youth.

The National Agenda for Youth also features a national business leadership plan, which features 36 public and private companies, and a number of initiatives such as establishing a consultancy board for business leadership among many others.

A number of specialised youth centres will be launched across the UAE as part of the Agenda, such as Youth Creativity Centre, Youth Media Centre, and Youth Cultural Centre.

The Agenda was launched based on suggestions that were submitted by UAE youth during the two-day youth retreat in Dubai that was attended by ministers and young leaders in the country.