YAL announces the official start of its operations in the UAE

This was announced during the first meeting of the YAL-UAE Chapter which was attended by Saeed Al Muntafiq, Chairman of YAL-UAE Chapter, Board Members of the YAL-UAE Chapter which includes Mohammed Al Hammadi, Writer & Journalist, Al Itihad; Shehab Gargash, Managing Director, Daman Securities; Khalid Mohd S.Bakhit, Vice President, Al Bakhit Group of Companies; Mohammed F.S.Al Qassimi, Chairman, MANAFA L.L.C; Khaldoon K Al Mubarak, CEO, Mubadala; Mohammed Nasser Khammas, Managing Director, Al Ahli Group; Jamal Salim, Head of Drama, Emirates Media Inc and leading personalities from the UAE. During the meeting the plans and agenda of the Chapter for the year was outlined and ways of activating YAL operations at all levels was discussed.

Addressing the meeting Saeed Al Muntafiq, Chairman of the YAL - UAE Chapter said, "The great response that the organization has received reflects the growing awareness of the importance of young leaders in leading the development process. This reflects the wisdom and clear vision of the patron of this initiative, His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed believes in the active role that young leaders can play in regenerating the region to deal with the development challenges that it faces."

He added, "UAE had accomplished a lot during the last few decades and is now ready for a new phase of development and nurturing. You represent a role model for young leaders that will help them in catalyzing the development process. Your responsibilities are tremendous, but the wise leadership of UAE has taught us to face the challenges to the development process and if we have the power to dream and a strong will, we can transform our dreams into reality."

During the meeting Saeed Al Muntafiq announced the official start of the operations of YAL - UAE Chapter. He said, "I am pleased to announce that we are now ready to take on a formal identity and to start fulfilling our duty towards the future of our country and our region. This is a first step in a long and rewarding road that lies ahead for each one of us -- and for all of us as a group. Today, we have reaffirmed our commitment to strive for a better tomorrow for our people, for our country and for our region. And the way, we have chosen to do so is to create and mentor a group of high-potential young Arabs who could lead our nation into the future."

Chairman of the YAL-UAE Chapter added, "In this meeting of the UAE Chapter, we need to discuss what could be our targets and goals. We need to define them clearly, set timelines, create a system that could measure our progress - so that when we meet again, we can look back and review what we have done - and hopefully - we shall be able to proudly say that we have surpassed all our targets. We need to set up programmes for youth development, in which we should provide mentorship, scholarships and internships."

He added, "It is not enough to just identify young potential and to provide them with education. Practical work exposure hones the academic learning that the young would have acquired. Additionally we need to focus on member development through participation in key initiatives, representation in events and knowledge transfer workshops."

Young Arab Leaders (YAL) is an independent pan-Arab organization which aims to create the necessary environment for future leaders to grow and develop in the region.

It is a network of 500 of the region's leaders in the different sectors from the business community, politics, academia, media, arts, culture and all other areas of civil society, who are committed to improving the state of the Arab world.

These Young Arab Leaders leverage their proven ability to achieve in their personal and professional lives and extend it to developing their professional sectors and particularly to nurturing future leadership in these sectors.

They work on projects ranging from establishing mentorship programs in organizations across the region, to increasing the number of scholarships available for Arab students as well as networking across sectors and countries to improve the capabilities of the region as a whole.