Dubai, March 11, 2022: As part of its efforts to spread the culture of political participation in the community and to raise awareness of the upcoming Federal National Council elections, the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA) organized its second lecture in the fifth edition of its Neighborhood Councils initiative. Titled ‘Empowerment Program and increasing Political Participation in the Federal National Council Elections,’ the activity took place at Al Khawaneej Majlis in Dubai on Thursday, March 10, 2022.
Discussing the initiative, His Excellency Sami Mohammed bin Adi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Support Services Sector at MFNCA, said: “Empowering the citizenry is a primary concern of the UAE leadership, which fully understands that the comprehensive development process requires that all elements of society interact with the country’s vibrant political programme. The active participation of citizens in the Federal National Council elections is an embodiment of this objective.”
For his part, Huraiz Al-Murr bin Huraiz, Executive Director of the Development and Social Care Sector at the Community Development Authority, said: “The neighborhood councils play an instrumental role in enhancing community awareness of vital issues that affect national development. With this in mind, we are delighted to host the Ministry’s lectures, which are held with the aim of expanding Political participation in the Federal National Council’s neighborhood council elections in the Emirate of Dubai.”
The lecture saw Dr Ahmed Al-Mansoori, specialist in law and international relations, explain to the audience why it is important for community members to become politically active by participating in local elections. Advising the audience members of their responsibilities and duties towards the UAE’s parliamentary work, he highlighted that – thanks to the vision of its wise leadership – the country has become established as a role model in upgrading all sectors by successfully capitalizing on the strengths of its people. He said that this strategy has elevated the country to the top positions across an array of important global indexes and ratings.
Dr Al-Mansoori said: “The wise leadership of the UAE persistently advances the path of development in all fields. The speech of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE (may God protect him) on the occasion of the 34th National Day in 2005 outlined the Empowerment Programme and highlighted how the approach of political participation of the citizenry was rooted in the UAE’s system of government.”
He added that the Empowerment Programme was the basis of a comprehensive national action plan to enhance Political participation of UAE citizens in the political life of the country. It includes activating the Federal National Council to be a supportive and guiding authority for the executive, with its role encompassing issues related to the homeland and the concerns of citizens, with the Council’s participatory and consultation approach integral to its operations.”
Al Mansouri explained that the leadership of the UAE is working to enhance political participation in Emirati society and to urge citizens to become actively engaged in the decision-making process – something he said was essential to promote comprehensive development and achieve happiness for all society members. Encouraging his audience to take part in the upcoming Federal National Council elections, he reiterated that each and every citizen has the right to interact with the decision-making process and to exercise their right to decide which candidate best represents their interests.
At the conclusion of his lecture, Al-Mansoori confirmed that the Federal National Council elections in its previous four tours saw the wide participation of the Emirati people, with results having seen qualitative transformations that strengthened the UAE at both the regional and global levels.