Since its inception in the second of December 1971 at the hands of the father the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates has been keen to provide a model and an ideal not only at the level of nation-building, but also in the relationship between the leadership and the people, and in the employment of resources for the benefit of people’s welfare and for the achievement of their aspirations, ambitions and dreams. This explains why the United Arab Emirates was on top of the happiness index in the Middle East and North Africa, as it was ranked 28th globally in March as one of the happiest peoples in the “World Happiness Index 2016”, issued by the International Initiative for Sustainable Development Solutions, and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, superior in this regard to countries such as France, Spain and Japan. This also explains the presence of the UAE at the top of the list of preferred countries for Arab youth to live in, for the last five years that were characterized by severe disruption in the internal situation of many Arab countries, which drives young people a priori, as they are the vibrant future force, to look for hope and opportunities to achieve their ambitions. Here the Emirates stand out and shine in the eyes of everybody to become the subject of their dreams and aspirations and the focus of their sights and promising ambitions.
There is no doubt that the United Arab Emirates, leadership and people, is proud to be the subject of Arab youth confidence, and that they view it as an example and a role model for their countries, to which we wish all the best, security and safety. The Emirates, the country of the good Zayed and the generous Khalifa, will remain faithful to its family and nationalism and to the whole humanity, which was clearly expressed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, may Allah protect him, when he addressed the Arab youth saying: “We tell them the UAE is your country and a country of goodness to all.” This survey proves the awareness of the Arab youth, and shows at the same degree the priorities of this important segment of our peoples, as the UAE ranked first among the 16 Arab countries where the survey took place, as a successful model for development in the Arab youth point of view, followed by the United States, then Germany and France. The UAE is also ranked first in the Arab youth point of view as a favorite country to launch their businesses, and also topped the list of countries that they want their countries to emulate, and perceive it as “a model of economically safe countries.”
These indicators reflect Arab young people’s awareness of the concerns of their nation, contrary to what some haters among terrorist organizations and others thought. Young people realize that development is the gate of stability, security and safety, so they want their countries to follow the footsteps of the UAE, its people and its wise leadership. The sample of young people covered in the survey classified the security and safety factor in first place, followed by a growing economy and the availability of work opportunities and rewarding salaries. The issue then is not one of visual and audio culture, but of rooted convictions reflecting the awareness of the larger segment of the Arab youth of the importance of these dimensions in nation-building and in the lives of peoples.
There is also in this survey what indirectly undermines the claims of terrorist organizations and groups. In fact, there are about 72% of the survey sample of young people in 16 Arab countries that believe that the UAE is an ally for their countries, while 28% of the sample consider the UAE as the biggest ally of their countries in the region, and 93% of young people from the Arab Gulf States consider the UAE to be supportive of their countries. The Emirates is indisputably the beautiful Arab dream. The survey included a question for young people within the 18-24 age group in which they were asked to designate the country they prefer to live in more than any other in the world. 22% of the participants, which means about one out of four young people, expressed a preference for living in the UAE, so it came before the United States, which accounted for 15% of the votes of the participants, and Germany (11%) and Saudi Arabia (11%).
When His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, welcomes the Arab youth in the UAE, he reflects a culture that is rooted in the UAE people and leadership, led by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme commander of the armed forces, whose authentic national and pan-Arab stances reflect the best expression of what links the Arab brothers to each other. Also, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s remarks also reflect the faith of our young country in the role of the youth in the Renaissance and the process of modernization and development, as His Highness previously emphasized that “governments cannot build a solid development for their people without genuine partnership with the youth ,” alluding to the fact that “the UAE has been built on the arms of young people and will continue to shape its future by relying on their skills and abilities, and the attention to the youth is an interest in the future of this country, and providing opportunities for them is providing significant growth opportunities for the State,” which is on the whole a work philosophy that is prevalent in the United Arab Emirates and makes this country a beautiful Arab dream, and puts in the first ranks regionally and in advanced positions internationally in all development and happiness indicators.
