From (L) to (R) Shamma Al Mazrui, the Minister of State for Youth, Ohood Al Roumi, the Minister of State for Happiness and Jamila Salim Al Muhairi, newly-appointed Minister of State for Education of the United Arab Emirates. (AP)
In an attempt to make the United Arab Emirates the world’s happiest nation, this week the UAE inducted during a cabinet reshuffle a “ministry of happiness” and named a woman, Ohoud Al-Roumi, as minister in a country that was ranked No. 20 on the 2015 World Happiness Report.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, said the position “will align and drive government policy to create social good and satisfaction” in comments posted on Twitter on Wednesday.
The UAE seems to be following the lead of South Asia’s Kingdom of Bhutan, which measures the economic well-being of its citizens with its “Gross National Happiness Index.”
The shakeup in the UAE, which also saw the appointment of a minister of state for tolerance – also a woman – and the appointment of a number of young politicians, was hailed by many social media users in the Gulf country.
However, some critics have questioned whether the move will address the root causes of problems of inequality for foreign workers and women.
The editor-in-chief of the Emirati SAILE magazine, Iman Ben Chaibah, told Ahram Online that the importance of the new post lies in the choice of the right person for it.
Ben Chaibah believes that new Minister of State for Happiness Al-Roumi will always think of what is better for the people to ensure their happiness and satisfaction with public processes and services.
Al-Roumi has an impressive resume, having been selected by the United Nations as the first Arab member of the Global Entrepreneurship Council in 2015, in addition to her post as director-general of the prime minister's office and her former job as head of economic policy for Dubai.
Al-Roumi will continue serving as director-general of the prime minister's office after she assumes her new post.
Rothna Begum, women's rights researcher for the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch, says that it is good to see that the UAE has decided to take these measures to increase their citizens’ happiness.
However, she stated that the UAE spends a lot of money and effort in ensuring an image of a progressive, modern state but that real reforms are still lacking, including human rights reforms for both citizens and migrant workers, who make up almost 90 percent of the 9 million residents of the UAE.
“There are hundreds of thousands of migrant domestic workers in the UAE who are tied to their sponsors by their visa under the kafala system and have no labour law protections. [A UN] committee called for the UAE to put an end to the kafala system and adopt a law on domestic workers,” Begum said.
Human Rights Watch has issued reports criticising the kafala (or sponsorship) system, which is used by many Gulf countries, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and can expose migrant workers to exploitation and abuse.
Social media users reacted generally positively towards the cabinet reshuffle, with many retweeting Sheikh Mohammed's series of tweets.
Snapshot from Tweets in reaction to the UAE's ministry of happiness.
“National happiness isn't a wish. Plans, projects, programs, and indices will inform the work of our ministries to achieve happiness,” the sheikh tweeted.
He also vowed to make happiness a "part of our lifestyle" in the UAE.
Women and youth in the new cabinet
In the sweeping cabinet reshuffle and in a push for the inclusion of women and youth in the decision-making process, Sheikh Mohammed named eight females out of the 29 members.
“I think it is the ultimate tell of how [forward looking] the UAE is,” said Ben Chaibah, who said that a large percentage of the population are youths “so it is natural to encourage them and provide role models for them in such high positions so they can aspire for the best.”
“We all were ecstatic with the news of the cabinet reshuffle; it's a great year for women in the UAE, and a great time for the youth,” Ben Chaibah said.
Sheikh Mohammed named 22-year-old Shamma Al-Mazrui as minister for youth affairs and 32-year-old Thani Al-Zeyoudi as minister of climate change and environment.
Ben Chaibah believes that the appointing of women to these posts shows that the rulers of the UAE are pushing women's empowerment in every possible way, and ensuring they become part of the decision-making process.
However,Begum says that if the UAE wanted to ensure gender equality, it should seek to end all forms of discrimination.
She explained that in November the UN Committee on Discrimination against Women called on the UAE to repeal a law that gives men the right to physically chastise their wives and children if they are disobedient, and to criminalise domestic violence, including marital rape.
Though the UAE is considered progressive relative to other countries in the region, it ranked 119 out of 145 countries in 2015’s Global Gender Gap Index.
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