The Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA) has organised the “Elections Lab” initiative in collaboration with the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) to empower the youth and engage them in the political development process.
Set to be held as part of UAE Innovation Month 2019, the initiative is being organised for the first time to provide a platform for young Emiratis to propose their ideas and suggestions, and come up with innovative instruments to develop electoral processes in the country.
The Ministry’s Undersecretary His Excellency Tariq Hilal Lootah expressed gratitude for the Higher Colleges of Technology and HCT Chancellor Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi for the tremendous efforts exerted to ensure integration and establish an effective partnership that drives comprehensive sustainable development in the UAE.
“Our leadership firmly believes that investing in young people’s capabilities is essential for building a bright future and with that in mind, is committed to providing the youth all they need to play an effective role in driving development and progress,” H.E. Lootah added. “In line with this ambitious vision, we, at the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs are dedicated to engaging the youth, tapping into their creativity, and channelling their potential towards developing the community and achieving our strategic objective to promote political participation in the UAE.”
“The ‘Elections Lab’ is one of the Ministry’s initiatives for UAE Innovation Month 2019, where we seek to identify young people’s ideas and proposals for developing the electoral process, and include them in political development projects in the country,” H.E. explained, noting that the initiative will act as an incubator for young people’s innovation and present a platform where their creativity can be channelled towards further promoting political participation and galvanising sustainable development to establish the UAE as one of the world’s best countries across all sectors.
For his part, HCT Chancellor Dr Abdullatif Al Shamsi welcomed H.E. Lootah at the “Elections Lab” inauguration, underlining the HCT’s longstanding partnership with the Ministry of State for FNC Affairs, which seeks to raise political awareness among the youth and familiarise them with the UAE’s laws and legislation regulating the electoral process in the country.
“We are delighted to be working with the Ministry on the ‘Elections Lab’, which seeks to engage students and go from awareness to interaction by allowing them to propose innovative ideas to support the next FNC election cycle,” H.E. added. “We don’t need to resort to experts for innovation and development; our youth have immense creativity and energy, along with the skills to handle advanced technologies, which are part of their everyday lives.”
The initiative explored challenges related to the electoral process, as well as future solutions based on models approved by the Mohammed bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation. It aims to come up with forward-thinking ideas to upgrade the electoral process and establish a culture of political participation, as well as to develop the electronic voting system.
“Elections Lab” is added to the record of outstanding initiatives the Ministry of State for FNC Affairs has organised in cooperation with the Higher Colleges of Technology, through which it seeks to promote political participation among university students.
Taking Part in the Development Process
Students at the Higher Colleges of Technology expressed their happiness to be participating in the “Election Lab”, where they had the opportunity to come forward with innovative ideas to upgrade the electoral process in the UAE.
Business Administration student Abdullah Al-Ketbi said that participating in the initiative helps students boost their self-confidence and hone their skills, as it allows them to pitch ideas related to the Federal National Council, which, in turn, is tasked with discussing issues affecting the country and its citizens.
“We were introduced to current practices before discussing ideas that can be implemented in the future that rely on modern technologies to develop the electoral process,” said student Asma’ al-Shamsi, while Engineering student Khalifa Ahmed Al Suwaidi noted: “The initiative has helped develop our ability to innovate and work as a team. It has equipped us with the knowledge to serve our community and drive progress in our UAE.”
For her part, Education student Amina Al-Qassab asserted: “The initiative was an ideal platform for us to develop our creative skills to contribute to the development of the electoral process, improve awareness, and promote political participation.”
Mohammed Al-Hussam, a mechanical engineering student at the Higher Colleges of Technology, said that the “Elections Lab” initiative paves the way for young people to come forward with ideas, which goes to support the UAE leadership’s vision for the Emirates to become one of the world’s best country in all sectors.