Abu Dhabi encourages Emirati youth to marry and strengthen families

Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed approves Family Growth Programme to foster social cohesion

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, approves the Emirati Family Growth Programme. Photo: Abu Dhabi Media Office

A new programme to encourage Emirati youth to marry has been unveiled.

During the Abu Dhabi Executive Council meeting on Monday, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, approved the Emirati Family Growth Programme “to enhance family stability and reinforce community cohesion”.

Part of the Abu Dhabi Family Wellbeing Strategy, it also aims to empower youth to build stable families and enhance the family as a main driver of economic and social development in the emirate.

The programme will be implemented through initiatives that contribute to fostering family life

During the meeting, Sheikh Khaled highlighted that the programme reflects the UAE leadership's commitment to the well-being of Emirati families.

The Council also reviewed key developments in government projects, as well as services designed to meet the needs of UAE citizens and residents and improve their quality of life through partnerships with the private sector.

Emiratis who take part in the programme can receive financial loans, rent assistance for up to four years and housing loan deductions after the births of their fourth, fifth and sixth child.

They are also eligible to extend their maternity leave to 90 days and have their housing loan repayments extended -– also starting from the births of their fourth, fifth and sixth child.

There will also be a home visit service to aid new parents during their first weeks.

“Abu Dhabi has always been a city that supports children, empowers young people and is family friendly,” said Dr Mugheer Al Khaili, chairman of the Department of Community Development.

“From this standpoint, we affirm our commitment to supporting young people and those about to get married by providing a supportive system based on a belief in the importance of family in building society, enabling them to establish stable families.

“We are dedicated to supporting parents and helping them overcome the challenges they face in raising their children, as the family is the fundamental building block for creating a responsible society that continues the path of progress and preserves our national achievements.”

It comes days after Abu Dhabi's Department of Community Development launched the Medeem Model for Women's Weddings to encourage brides to embrace simpler ceremonies with a focus on traditional values.

It is part of the wider Madeem strategy, set out in April, to help remove the financial burden of extravagant weddings on young couples.

At the start of the year, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, launched a Dh208 billion ($56.6 billion) strategy to double the number of Emirati families in the emirate within a decade.

It aims at “providing housing, improving living standards, identity, values, social cohesion, health care, and developing future skills in our upcoming generations,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

“It is important to note that the emphasis is on increasing the number of families, not just on the population,” Dr Elizabeth Monier of the University of Cambridge, an assistant professor in modern Arabic studies, told The National in January.

“The family is the basic unit of society upon which the cohesion of the state as a whole rests. By prioritising the family unit, there is a clear emphasis on cohesion.”