Youth and Leadership: Future Human Capital in the United Arab Emirates in the Making

Abstract This paper assesses the strategies of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to instill leadership values and to encourage youth to take leadership roles as a solution for the future sustainable economic growth. In recent years, the UAE government has stepped up initiatives to encourage the Emirati youth to become leaders, as seen in the establishment of, among others, the UAE Youth Global Initiative, the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Emirates Youth Council, the National Youth Agenda, and the UAE Youth Programme launched under the UAE Government Leaders Programme (UAEGLP). Such steps are accompanied by country’s support for high quality education on a tertiary level available to every citizen willing to pursue their education. This article examines in what ways such attempts at social engineering may provide solutions to the country’s future needs and serve as a model abroad. The research was conducted using data collected from governmental agencies, and interviews with representatives of youth government initiatives.