SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT - UAE Interact

S O C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T227children, especially in areas targeting their educational, cultural,health and social well-being. In addition, the establishment ofcare centres for disabled children provides them with the medical,psychological, social and educational services that they require.The Government has also established special centres for thetreatment and rehabilitation of juveniles and troubled youthunder the supervision of specialised psychologists and socialworkers and set up training programmes to prepare them fortheir return to society.In addition, the Government has placed particular emphasison the promotion of youth activities, through social, scientific,sporting and cultural clubs. Scouts’ and Guides’ packs have beenestablished across the country, which organise cultural, religious,social, scientific and educational programmes for their members.Initiatives such as the Young Leaders Forum are also focusing onthe necessity of fostering leadership skills and the need to give theyouth a means of participating in the social and economicdevelopment of the region. This is part of Young Leaders Track, aperiodic event held in partnership between the Dubai School ofGovernment and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme ForLeadership Development, and is sponsored by Axiom. The eventhopes to facilitate exchange of ideas and promote dialogue onleadership concepts in the Arab world.But the Government’s child-centred focus is not confined todomestic or even regional concerns: convinced that internationalcooperation is instrumental to the achievement of development,the United Arab Emirates is keen to participate in internationalefforts aimed at realising this objective. To this end, the UAEhas made significant contributions in cash and in kind to theUN agencies concerned with children, and extended directassistance to developing countries and countries affected bynatural disasters and armed conflicts, where children suffer frompoverty, illiteracy, violence, displacement, sexual exploitation,trafficking and recruitment in wars, in order to assist thesecountries in improving their social and economic conditions andcreating a world fit for children.The Supreme Council forMother and Child advancesthe standards of care andattention given to mothersand children.Organisations such asScouts and Guides,along with initiativeslike the Young Leaders’Forum, give youngpeople the opportunityto participate in a widerange of cultural,social, religious,scientific andeducational activities.@www.uaeinteract.com/youth