Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi
The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) was created at the end of the previous century in 1996; it received the current title in 2005. It was established to improve the environmental sustainability of the Abu Dhabi Emirate. In particular, EAD aims to improve the awareness of environmental issues and promote their resolution. The areas of environmental sustainability that the agency is particularly concerned with include the air, water, and wildlife of the Emirate. EAD is a governmental agency, but it forms partnerships with various kinds of organizations, including non-governmental ones, to improve its effectiveness. EAD’s activities include developing appropriate policies and guidelines and supervising and ensuring the conservation and preservation of the resources of the Emirate. Given the significance of these resources and the need for sustainable development, which is universally acknowledged by modern countries, the agency’s importance cannot be overestimated. Also, EAD is devoted to innovation and seeks to improve its effectiveness.
Emiratization
Emiratization is the effort of the UAE government to increase the number of Emirati people employed in the UAE. This endeavor aims to find efficient ways of employing the native workforce in the UAE business. As a result, it is not limited to the idea of quotas for native and non-native workers; rather, it seeks to create new workplaces, develop job-searching agencies, and improve the education of the Emirati, helping them to become valuable specialists.
Still, the percentage of the Emirati in the workforce is important; typically, they are calculated specifically for an organization or a sector. For example, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority reports that the number of Emirati employed in tourism has been extremely small; in 2009, it only amounted to 1%. As a result, the sector’s first goal was to increase this number to a mere 5%. In contrast, the percentage of the Emirati employed by the Department of Economic Development was 72% in 2008, and by 2009, the Department managed to increase it by 10%. Thus, the percentages are customizable. EAD also reports having Emiratization targets continually updated. It highlights the fact that it strives to ensure equal opportunities for all its employees and works to avoid discrimination. The existence of these targets makes the endeavor of Emiratization more strategic and quantifiable.
The primary reason for the development of Emiratization in the fact that immigrants take the majority of workplaces in the country. Here, it is noteworthy that the number of expatriates in the UAE is very impressive; according to the most recent CIA and UN data, more than 80% of the country’s population is non-native, and this population amounts to 9,267,000 people. It is apparent that the UAE is a very attractive country for immigrant workers, which is the result of its rapid and successful economic growth after the discovery of oil in the region. However, the current situation in the labor market also means that the percentage of unemployment in the Emirati population is very high, which allows one to suspect that the situation might be described as discrimination. This unemployment rate and the dependence on the immigrant workforce are regarded as issues that can be resolved with the help of the Emiratization initiative.
Also, the Emiratization is correlated with the government’s intent to diversify the economy and involve more women in it. The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization aims to promote the process and supervise related activities.
Given the recent events in the global economy (especially the plunge of the oil prices), the improvement of the quality of life of the Emirati depends on the Emiratization, and it can be regarded as a valid tool in the resolution of multiple economic and social issues.