Definition of Youth
No clear definition of youth exists in the United Arab Emirates. A National Youth Conference in 2010 targeted young people aged between 11-25 years.
Marriageable Age
- Opposite Sex
- Same Sex
- Without parental consent
- with parental consent
- Male
- 18
- 18
- XX
- Female
- 18
- 18
- XX
While UAE is based on Sharia law, a minimum age for marriage exists. Homosexual acts illegal, with punishment including the death penalty. Source: UNSD, ILGA, UNICEF Report (2011)
Candidacy Age
- Lower House
- 25 Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union Conditions vary in each of the seven Emirates. Half of the National Council is appointed, and the other half is indirectly elected.
- Upper House
- --
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Unicameral.
Voting Age
Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union
Situation of Young People
Literacy Rates
- 99.61% Male (15-24) %
- 99.10% Female (15-24) %
- Year: 2015
- Source: UNESCO
Net Enrolment Rate
Secondary School- --Male %
- -- Female %
- Year: No data.
- Source: UNESCO
Situation of Young People
Tobacco Use
Consumed any smokeless or smoking tobacco product at least once 30 days prior to the survey.- 25.20% Male (13-15) %
- 13.20% Female (13-15) %
- Year: 2010
- Source: WHO
Policy & Legislation
No overarching youth policy or plan exists across the seven federal Emirates of the UAE. One of the strategic objectives of the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare (GAYSW) is to develop “the youth sector according to community needs.” The Authority focuses on youth centres, youth associations, clubs, youth camp, youth awards, and the National Youth Conference. While the Authority has responsibility to “implement Government’s policy on Youth Sector and create action plans and projects to realize it”, no such plans can be found online. Youth are included in the national development plans of Emirates, such as the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 (2008), which includes a strategic aim to equip youth with the skills needed to enter the workforce.
Public Institutions
(ministry, department or office) that is primarily responsible for youth?
Youth and Representation
Budget & Spending
- % of GDP
- % of gov. expenditure
Source: World Bank
Gaps indicate missing data from the original data source. (Accessed May 2014).
Additional Background
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven states formed in 1971 by the then Trucial States after independence from Britain.
Since then, it has grown from a quiet backwater to one of the Middle East's most important economic centres.
Although each state - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain - maintains a large degree of independence, the UAE is governed by a Supreme Council of Rulers made up of the seven emirs, who appoint the prime minister and the cabinet. [...]
However, politically it remains authoritarian. It was the only country in the region not to have elected bodies until 2006, when it convened a half-elected federal assembly, which was however restricted to a consultative role. Although the turmoil of the Arab Spring popular revolts has largely passed it by, the UAE introduced Internet restrictions in 2012 to hinder the use of social media to organise protests, and imprisoned a large group of Islamists on charges to plotting a coup in 2013.The Innovations in Civic Participation – United Arab Emirates (n.d.) includes a summary on the situation for youth:
Due to rapid oil production, the United Arab Emirates is one of the wealthier nations in the Middle East, but young Emirati citizens still face a variety of challenges, some of which are regional and some of which are more country-specific. The Emirates face the same unemployment challenges and lack of entrepreneurship that most of their neighbors face. Part of this is due to an influx of foreign nationals that the Emirates have seen over the past few decades which have reduced Emirati participation in their own economy. As such, many youth programs are meant to overcome a sense of youth exclusion in the UAE, from both economic and social development sectors.
The consistency with which the UAE has hosted the National Youth Forum and the development plans that both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have in place indicate that as the UAE moves forward, it may continue to recognize and address the challenges faced by its young people. Though the UAE has not developed a comprehensive national policy, opportunities for youth engagement are widespread. Civil society organizations play a key role with diverse programs for young people and individual emirates engage their youth populations through independently developed policies. At the same time, the government could benefit by developing more programs and initiatives specifically designed to increase the civic participation of young people.