Ch 5- Social Development

1. Ch 5- Social Development Invest in it’s people. Population ID cards Labor and social Affairs Emiratisation in the Banking Sector Insurance Sector Human Resource Managers Career Fair06 Labor Standards Housing Social Welfare Associations Rights of the Disabled Education Literacy Health

2. INVESTMENT IN ITS PEOPLE as the ‘wealth of the nation’ has been a primary focus of the UAE Government since the inception of the state. The population is now reaping the benefits of a high standard of education and a sophisticated health service. Efforts are being made to develop human resources, effect the empowerment of women, and provide social welfare to the more vulnerable in society. Nevertheless, the impact of social change has been significant, in particular the demographic imbalances brought about by urbanization and immigration. Despite this, the UAE continues to be a tolerant, open, caring society that cherishes its traditional roots. As a result of its remarkable progress in social development, the UAE was ranked forty-first in the Human Development Index (HDI) compiled by the UN Human Development Report for 2005, compared to its forty-ninth position in 2004.

3. POPULATION The UAE population was estimated to be 4.32 million at the end of2004. However, more precise figures were gathered by ‘Tedad 2005’, the fifth census in the UAE’s history and a major initiative on the part of the Government to accumulate accurate information on population structure in order to better target its resources.

4. ID CARDS Another fundamental information-gathering. The hope is that the Population Register and ID Card Project (PRNIDC) will help to establish an accurate database on the economic, demographic and social characteristics of the country. Amongst other things, this will facilitate the identification of common needs in fields such as education, health and housing and will positively impact on the true of the country with faster and more efficient services being offered to the public.

5. LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS At present the majority of the national workforce (88 per cent) is working in a public sector that has reached saturation point and is, therefore, incapable of absorbing the 16,187 nationals entering the job market in 2006. This figure will rise to 19,610 in 2010 and 40,000 by 2020. At present, UAE nationals account for a very small percentage of the total workforce in the private sector, Therefore, the creation of job opportunities for national graduates in the private sector is a situation that the Federal Government is anxious to address.

6. One strategy put in place was the establishment in 2001 of the National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia), an independent body whose main objectives are to: • Create job opportunities for UAE nationals, especially in the private sector. • Reduce the unemployment ratio. • Enhance the skills and productivity of the national workforce through relevant training. • Undertake policy oriented research on a multiplicity of labor-market issues and make recommendations to the Government.

7. EMIRATISATION IN THE BANKING SECTOR No discussion of the UAE’s human resources would be complete without an examination of the quota system. UAE HR 2005 concludes with an examination of the application of employment quotas in the UAE banking sector. From 1999 to 2004 there was an increase of approximately 282 per cent in the number of Emiratis working in banks. This is nearly 3500 new workers and a total workforce representation, according to Tanmia, of 26.4 per cent in this sector at the end of 2004. These developments were the result of positive changes in working conditions and the introduction of career development, and the report invites other sectors, such as insurance and trade, to address these issues in order to attract more nationals.

8. THE INSURANCE SECTOR Insurance has been identified as a growing sector with insufficient national representation in its workforce. In 2006 an agreement was signed between the Higher Insurance Committee of the UAE and the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) to fund the enrolment of UAE nationals in an insurance diploma program at HCT. The Committee will facilitate placement of students within relevant organizations as a co-requisite to study in the program and develop employment and career advancement opportunities for UAE graduates of the program.

9. HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGERS Having successfully replaced around 1300 of 3000 foreign government personnel officers with UAE nationals, the Government is now targeting human resources in the private sector. (1)To this end, the private sector (excluding businesses in free zones) has been given a grace period of 18 months from mid-2006 to replace foreign human resources managers with UAE nationals. (2) In addition, no more work permits for non-national secretaries will be issued with immediate effect . (3) It is hoped that emiratisation of human resources managers and secretarial posts will create thousands of jobs for UAE nationals . (4) It is also envisaged that the decision will pave the way for further emiratisation in the private sector, since companies that have had nationals working in their human resources departments have been able to meet emiratisation targets more effectively.

10. CAREERS FAIR 2006 Careers fairs also assist in the process of job creation for nationals. It was estimated that exhibitors at Careers UAE, a successful recruitment, training and education exhibition which took place in April 2006, will place around 5000 UAE nationals in jobs in the near future. Over half of the participating exhibitors come from the private sector, an indication of the increasing priority being accorded to emiratisation as a growth strategy across all sectors.

11. LABOUR STANDARDS (1) Reports issued by the International Labor Organization (ILO) during 2006 praised the positive steps made by the UAE in implementing the international labor conventions to which it has acceded, particularly international labor standards relating to the minimum age convention and the success achieved by the UAE in resolving the use of underage camel jockeys. (2) The Labor Ministry has also used the ‘carrot and stick’ approach here, including preferential status, immediate processing of visas and cancelling of bank guarantees. (3) Use of innovative technology, including high-resolution satellite imagery to monitor building sites for health and safety violations and conditions at labor accommodation camps.

12. HOUSING Access to modern comfortable housing is considered to be the right of every citizen. The rapid rise in population coupled with the demands of modern living has necessitated Government intervention at federal and emirate level to ensure that the housing needs of nationals are met throughout the Federation. Programs coordinated by municipalities in each emirate include the free distribution of houses and land to UAE nationals. Between 2000 and 2005, 6050 houses were distributed by the Zayed Housing Program (ZHP). In 2005, ZHP approved 50 per cent of the applications submitted for housing and loan assistance by the various housing committees from all over the country. A total of 1280 UAE nationals received Dh655 million.

13. SOCIAL WELFARE ASSOCIATIONS Volunteer work represents the embodiment of Islamic and social values in UAE society and the importance of volunteerism in enhancing social solidarity and contributing to the process of social development is widely recognized. To that end, the Government has encouraged and promoted volunteer work by supporting volunteer and humanitarian organizations and has implemented legislation to regulate their services to the public. For their part, volunteer and charitable organizations in the UAE, among which the UAE Red Crescent is most prominent, have contributed generously to social welfare services and development programs covering such areas as medical aid, student sponsorship, disability, special care, health care, the welfare of prisoners .

14. RIGHTS OF THE DISABLED Believing that handicapped persons possess skills and capabilities that could be utilized in economic and social development, the Government : (1)Has established care centers for persons with special needs. (2)It has also expanded and enhanced vocational training programs for the handicapped so that they can acquire professional skills, build their self-confidence and facilitate their integration into society. There are currently 32 centers for 3229 children with a variety of special needs

15. EDUCATION • Educational opportunities in the UAE have improved since the establishment of the Federation when only a tiny minority of the urban population had access to formal education. • Today, the UAE offers a comprehensive education to all male and female students from kindergarten to university, with education for the country’s citizens being provided free at all levels. • There is also an extensive private education sector, while several thousand students, of both sexes, pursue courses of higher education abroad at Government expense. • (4) Now that the infrastructure is in place, the educational focus is on devising and implementing a strategy that will ensure the youth of the country are ready to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century workplace.

16. (5) A major practical shift in timetabling took place in 2006 following the Federal Government’s announcement that from 1 September 2006 the weekend schedule would be changed to make Friday and Saturday the official weekend for all public sector establishments as well as government schools and universities.

17. LITERACY As well as providing for the educational needs of the youth of the country, the Government has undertaken an adult literacy program in cooperation with the UAE General Women’s Union. In 1975, the rate of adult literacy was 54.2 per cent amongst men and 30.9 per cent amongst women.

18. HEALTH • As already mentioned the UAE was ranked forty-first in the 2005 UN Human Development Report, having risen from forty-ninth place in 2004. HDI focuses on three measurable dimensions of human development: • living a long and healthy life. • Being educated and, • Having a decent standard of living. • Thus it combines measures of life expectancy, school enrolment, literacy and income, providing a broader view of a country’s development than income alone.