ABU DHABI // Children would be able to elect their peers to a national youth parliament under a law being drafted by the federal government.
The idea for the 46-member body was developed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, said Dr Mona Al Bahar, a Federal National Council (FNC) member from Dubai.
The goal is to educate Emirati children about elections, campaigns and political participation so that when they are old enough to vote they will be ready, said Dr Al Bahar, head of the committee drafting the law. "It is to prepare the kids for the future," she said.
The parliament will also empower children to raise issues that concern them, said a committee member, Lt Col Faisal Al Shamari, the head of the Ministry of Interior's child protection centre.
"They are part of the structure of our society and, statistically, they are our greatest and largest part," said Lt Col Al Shamari. "We have one of the highest rates of youth compared to other societies, and this is really great to give them an opportunity to listen to their voices."
Rashed Al Shuraiqi, FNC member for Ras Al Khaimah, said the country's adult parliamentarians "highly support" the idea of a child parliament.
"We believe that this will create a type of brainstorming among schoolchildren to talk about democracy, to see about the FNC, to know about the rules and procedures," he said.
A local child parliament was established in Sharjah in 1997. A Unicef report in 2010 praised the initiative, saying that the young politicians had discussed topics such as child rights, child protection, "at-risk children" and children and the media.
"The Sharjah child parliament is considered a successful project," Dr Al Bahar said. "And we thought ... why not have a child parliament on the federal level, where all the young Emiratis can participate and learn from this experience."
When the committee finishes revising the draft law, it will submit the draft to the Minister of Social Affairs, who will in turn submit it to the federal Cabinet for approval.
As the draft stands now, pupils will vote for fellow pupils to elect them to the parliament, Dr Al Bahar said. The children who win school-wide elections will continue to elections in each educational zone, then finally to an emirate-wide election.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai will send eight children each to the parliament, while the less populous emirates will send six each, the doctor added.
Any Emirati student will be eligible for election, including young children, she said.
After the children are elected, they will meet to discuss political issues.
"It will be the same as the existing parliament," Dr Al Bahar said. "There will be committees: a health committee, a law committee and also education and media committees. There will also be a committee for the environment."
In February, the FNC and the Ministry of Education announced a similar plan for a pupil parliament, with successful candidates chosen from different schools who would sit in on FNC meetings. The initiative aimed to increase understanding of the FNC and encourage electoral participation. Only 28 per cent of nearly 130,000 eligible voters turned out for last year's FNC elections.
The Ministry of Social Affairs plan is separate. Dr Al Bahar said the FNC-Ministry of Education initiative focuses more on workshops and training. However, she said she expected the two ministries would work together in implementing the child parliament.
While there are child parliaments elsewhere in the region, the UAE's will be enshrined in law, Lt Col Al Shamari said.
"Other countries are not really having it as a law or by a decree," he said. "But with the UAE child parliament, we will have fully structured roles and responsibilities, identifying their privileges ... and at the same time it will identify their obligation."
[ vnereim@thenational.ae ]
The five pillars of Islam
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Everton 4
Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', Digne 56', Walcott 64'
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)
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Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
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Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
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Rating: 3/5
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Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
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Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
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Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
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Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
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UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
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Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
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Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
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Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
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Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
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Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
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Rating: 2/5
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In
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- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
Match info:
Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)
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Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
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Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
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