Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, has expressed the UAE’s desire to support people of determination and provide them with requirements to excel, enabling them to achieve many successes in local, regional and international events.

The minister's comment came during the second meeting of the 'People of Determination Advisory Council', chaired by Dr. Ahmed Omran Al Shamsi, Advisor of the Executive Council of Dubai. The council seeks to implement the 'National Policy to Empower People of Determination' by 2021.

During the meeting, those attending discussed the council’s working mechanisms and its proposed resolution to regulate and license non-governmental organisations that work to rehabilitate people of determination. The committee also discussed the unified classification of disability in the UAE, which would contribute to establishing a centralised database in the country.

Buhumaid highlighted the importance of the council in monitoring, with relevant authorities, the implementation of the pillars of the National Policy to Empower People of Determination, as well as suggesting programmes and initiatives to empower this important segment of the community, and raising the community's awareness on the importance of understanding and integrating people of determination and acknowledging their capacities, as they have accomplished numerous achievements and successes in many areas.

She also affirmed the importance of involving all relevant segments of the community in the process of discussing initiatives supervised by the advisory council, and the importance of considering the opinions and aspirations of people of determination, as well as involving the private sector and community members in this process.

Dr. Al Shamsi praised the confidence of the UAE’s leadership in people of determination, which is reflected in the establishment of the Council, to support them and their families and enable them to play a significant role in the process of community development.