New young faces for UAE Cabinet

Introducing young blood and a new ministerial position, the United Arab Emirates Government yesterday reshuffled the Cabinet. Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced the twelfth government of the UAE as part of the largest structural change in the country’s history. 

He appointed women to the newly created posts of State Ministers for Happiness and Tolerance, and a 22-year-old female for youth affairs. 

The new government includes eight new Ministers, five of whom are women. The average age of the new Ministers is only 38 years, with the youngest Minister is a 22-year-old female.

 Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, approved the new Cabinet of the federal government. Shaikh Mohammed revealed his latest Cabinet line-up of 29 Ministers in a series of tweets.

Ohoud al-Roumi, who serves as Director of the Council of Ministers’ office, was appointed “Minister of State for Happiness”. She will also keep her former post.

“Happiness is not just a wish in our country. There will be plans, projects, programmes and indices. It will be part of the job of all Ministries,” tweeted Shaikh Mohammed. The new post “will align and drive government policy to create social good and satisfaction,” he said earlier.

Shamma al-Mazroui, 22, was appointed State Minister for Youth, while Lubna al-Qassimi, a veteran Minister of International Cooperation and Development, was handed the new post of State Minister for Tolerance.

“The post of Minister of State for Tolerance has been created to promote tolerance as a fundamental value in UAE society,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote when he announced the reshuffle earlier this week. (Agencies)