Saeed Al Rumaithi and Alia Suleiman Al Jassim, members of a Federal National Council, FNC, delegation, attended the Parliamentary Youth Forum, which was held today on the sidelines of the 137th general assembly and 201st session of the Intern-Parliamentary Union, IPU, in St. Petersburg, Russia, to highlight the UAE's pioneering experience in supporting young people and enabling them to participate in the decision-making process, along with its efforts to promote human rights.

Al Rumaithi stated that the UAE is among the first signatories of many international conventions on human rights, as this is its humanitarian, moral and cultural obligation, while stressing the need to spread and promote the culture of political participation and empower the nation's youth. The country is in the process of promoting democracy and empowering its youth through political participation, along with specific actions, mechanisms and deliberate strategies, highlighted by the appointment of a female minister as its first youth minister, and the launch of a national strategy for youth empowerment, he added.

He also noted that Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has launched the "National Youth Dialogue" in 2016 to discuss ideas and proposals that will help young people achieve their hopes and aspirations, as well as activate their role in the process of sustainable development in the UAE.

This stage of youth empowerment in the UAE, which resulted in the establishment of the Emirates Youth Council, includes the participation of youth advisors who are contributing to the government’s work and the creation of dialogue workshops.

During the forum, which is a major pillar of the IPU and was established based on an FNC proposal, the list of its participating countries and its activities for 2017-2018 was updated, and the floor was given to IPU presidential candidates.

The forum also commemorated the twentieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Democracy, and a related draft resolution was discussed, entitled, "Sharing Our Diversity: The 20th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Democracy (Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights)."

"As part of our participation in ‘Our Diversity: The 20th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Democracy,’ we propose greater emphasis on creating specific action plans and programmes, to ensure youth participation in politics and parliaments," Al Jassim said.

She also highlighted the importance of modern technology, especially social media, in the process of educating communities and communicating with young people, while considering the aims of the draft resolution regarding participation, integrity, transparency and objectivity in elections, as well as democratic diversity in various countries, and in ensuring universality, diversity and equality.

The FNC delegation praised the efforts to draft the resolution for the twentieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Democracy, while noting that its importance lies in its assertion that democracy, human rights and the rule of law have a common objective.

However, the youth in various countries still suffer from a lack of participation and political empowerment, and face exclusion, inequality and multiple forms of discrimination, it added.

The forum’s members also discussed recommendations for consideration by the committee, and will consider how to incorporate youth perspectives into the action plan of the 137th general assembly