KEY POINTS

  • "Ultimately, we envision the entire region to become a place again where dreams can be realized and civilization can be built," Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said
  • "Its land will remain open to fulfill the aspirations of Arab youth," he added
  • For the 12th consecutive year, results of the Arab Youth Survey ranked the UAE on top of the list of countries young Arabs consider as "model nations"

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, said that the UAE remains open to fulfill the aspirations of Arab youth. He was commenting on the results of the Arab Youth Survey after the UAE again topped the list of countries most young Arabs want to live in for the 12th consecutive year.

"For the twelfth year in a row, a survey of Arab youth in 53 cities from 18 Arab countries reveals that most of the Arab youth consider the UAE as their preferred country to live and work, followed by the United States and Canada," Sheikh Mohammed, also the ruler of Dubai, tweeted on Tuesday as translated by the National News.

"They also view it as the most successful model they wish their countries to emulate. We continuously convey our unwavering message to Arab youth: The UAE is an Arab country. It extends its hand to all Arabs, and its land will remain open to fulfill the aspirations of Arab youth. Ultimately, we envision the entire region to become a place again where dreams can be realized and civilization can be built," he added.

Released in Dubai on Tuesday, the annual survey was conducted via face-to-face interviews and compiled the answers of 3,600 young Arabs between the ages of 18 and 24 from 18 countries.

For 12 years now, participants of the survey placed the UAE in the top spot when they were asked to name the countries they consider "model nations." The survey respondents said they chose UAE as the country they would most like to live in and the one they would most want to emulate, according to Al Arabiya News.

The respondents hailed UAE for its economic stability, clean surroundings, effective leadership, high levels of safety and security and good business climate.

Coming in on the fourth and fifth places where most Arab youths would most like to live in are Qatar and the United Kingdom.

Also, among non-Arab nations, 82% of the respondents named Turkey as a "strong ally" or "somewhat an ally of their country" followed by China, the United Kingdom, Germany and France.

"The UAE continues to be a lodestar for Arab youth seeking jobs, opportunity and the freedom to realize their full potential," the National News quoted Sunil John, founder of Asda'a BCW, the PR agency that led the survey.

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