The Telecommunications & Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), represented by TDRA Youth Council, has held a forum on ‘Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development’.
The forum was held in conjunction with the International Youth Day. The attendees included representatives of youth councils from the Community Development Authority (CDA), Dubai Municipality, Islamic Affairs & Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD), Central Bank of UAE (CBUAE), RAK Educational Zone, and the Prime Minister’s Office (represented by the ZGB program team).
This falls in line with the UAE government’s vision to achieve the banner of the Year of Sustainability 2024 themed ‘Plan to Action’. The opening speech of the forum was delivered by the TDRA’s Director-General Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, where he stated the continuous support given by the UAE’s leadership to youth initiatives for the sustainable future.
Al Mesmar commented that, “The intelligent linkage between digitization and sustainability in the theme of International Youth Day 2024 reminds me of the historical trajectory of the experience of governmental action in the UAE, where the directives of our wise leadership have always indicated that youth are the ones who create sustainability, through their willingness to change and courage to delve into all that is new, let alone their openness to knowledge and ability to look ahead.”
Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mesmar Director-General – TDRA
“We are the first government to eliminate the barrier between customers and government employees, and in the year 2001 we were the first government in the region to launch an eService called e-Dirham (by the Ministry of Finance). In 2013, we were the first to implement smart government (or mobile government), and today we are at the forefront of governments striving to eliminate bureaucracy through our Zero Government Bureaucracy (ZGB) programe that aims to cancel out 2,000 government measures during the current year 2024. What these milestones have in common is rejuvenation, in order to sustain the impetus of progress and entrepreneurship. Across all these milestones, youth have had the most influential mark. Where we are today is nothing but a continuation of this approach set by our wise leadership formerly and presently; the approach of agility, dynamism and constant revisiting in order to overcome bureaucracy and achieve sustainable leadership.”
Eng. Mohammed Bushlaibi, Chairman of Youth Council and Manager of Information Security Services at TDRA, emphasized the TDRA’s strategy in empowering youth in digital space as well as in equipping them with skills to tackle the challenges of the future.
Mohammed Bushlaibi also highlighted the TDRA’s efforts in building a sustainable, intelligent community through several internal and external initiatives, such as the Virtual Camp. The camp launched in this year centered on various skills and techniques of sustainability, game development, programming and ChatGPT.
The forum also included a youth-led debate on the significant initiatives taken by the Federal Youth Authority (FYA) with an aim to improve the skills of younger generation in dialogue, enhance their ability to persuade and to acquaint with research and studies. The debate explored key government trends in the UAE today, especially the Zero Government Bureaucracy (ZGB) program.
