Dubai – Ministry of Community Empowerment, July 2025
The Ministry of Community Empowerment has launched the first national dialogue on social and economic empowerment under the umbrella of the “Empowerment 360” initiative. The event brought together over 200 beneficiaries and partners from organizations supporting empowerment efforts, which aim to initiate direct communication channels with the community, transforming challenges into applicable opportunities, and fostering public participation in shaping future.
The dialogue served as a national interactive platform bringing together decision-makers, partners, and beneficiaries to address community issues and collaboratively design realistic, impactful solutions that support flexible and sustainable career pathways.
Empowerment as a Shared National Responsibility
In her opening remarks, Her Excellency Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrui, Minister of Community Empowerment, affirmed that empowerment is not merely a slogan, but a national commitment and a shared responsibility. She stated:
“We are shifting from service provision to capacity-building, and from direct support to creating sustainable opportunities. We trust the passion and dedication of individuals to shape a more resilient and stable future.”
Her Excellency underscored the vital role of the community and strategic partners in achieving meaningful empowerment. She emphasized that the dialogue reflects a genuine collaboration in shaping social and professional pathways that are grounded in people’s real-life experiences and aspirations.
H.E. also highlighted the Ministry’s three core pillars for driving societal transformation including: Empowering individuals to become agents of their own future, enabling the third sector as a key partner in sustainable development and strengthening community bonds to foster social cohesion and collective responsibility.
H.E. added:
“We want to hear your experiences, your perspectives, and your ideas because they are essential in developing programs and initiatives that create meaningful change in people lives.”
His Excellency Eng. Mohammed Bin Taliah, Chief of Government Services of the UAE Government, stated that this national dialogue, held under the “Empowerment 360” initiative, reflects the community-centered approach that underpins the government policies. H.E. emphasized that such platforms contribute to the development of agile, reality-based policies and reinforce the importance of collective participation in designing effective, developmental solutions.
H.E. explained that open dialogue platforms—such as Customer Councils—have become strategic tools for developing innovative solutions that enhance service experiences and drive the delivery of flexible, human-centric, and intelligent services. These platforms act as a direct link between government and the public, enabling inclusive engagement and transforming community feedback into implementable action plans. This in turn strengthens the impact of government policies and establishes the stakeholder as a key partner in shaping the service delivery framework
His Excellency added that the role of these councils goes beyond gathering feedback—they set the direction for continuous improvement and help anticipate future needs. H.E. stressed that listening to the community is not optional—it is fundamental to designing services that truly meet people’s expectations. He reaffirmed the UAE Government’s commitment to a participatory model that fosters transparency, encourages innovation, and places people at the core of policy and service design, ensuring a sustainable quality of life and a future-ready society.
Dialogue Sessions: Turning Challenges into Solutions
The dialogue featured two primary tracks, focusing on individuals as well as partners and supporters:
The first track focused on supporting individuals toward sustainable professional stability. It addressed work readiness and career ambition by emphasizing the importance of building individuals’ confidence and preparing them to engage effectively in the labor market. It also explored skills and capacity development through the identification of skill gaps and the proposal of targeted training programs. In addition, the dialogue examined sustainable career planning by outlining strategies for developing long-term career pathways and identifying the types of professional support needed to sustain them.
The second track focused on partners and supporters, with the objective of fostering a flexible and motivating work environment. It included discussions on creating flexible and inclusive employment opportunities for all, through models designed to accommodate a wide range of abilities and aspirations. Another key theme was enhancing the integration between training and employment, to ensure that training efforts are aligned with actual job market demands and lead to real opportunities.
A Human-Centered Vision for the Future
This dialogue reflects the UAE Government’s broader vision to build an inclusive, sustainable society that places people at the center of policymaking. By prioritizing dialogue, partnership, and innovation, the government aims to transform challenges into opportunities and ensure a resilient, empowered, and future-ready community.
17 Jul 2025