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The Dubai Plan 2021 paid special attention to the health and cohesion of its society through enhancing the ability of Dubai to support families and communities that provide nurturing environments for personal development, including the raising of children inculcated with core values of personal responsibility, creativity and tolerance; as well as ensuring balanced development among Emirati men and women who perform vital roles in various sectors, including social and economic. “Emirati men and women [who] play an important role in the development of Dubai and fill critical roles across various sectors including social, economic, and urban”. Among the plan’s KPIs are: participation rate of Emiratis in the labor market; percentage of individuals who feel proud of the Emirati culture, traditions and national identity and fertility rate among Emirati women. This policy council took the fertility rate KPI as its point of departure.
The current Emirati fertility rate in Dubai stands at 3.4 children per woman, and Dubai has set as its goal the maintenance of this number. The issues involved in maintaining high Emirati fertility rates are complex and myriad. As many countries all over the world have witnessed, such a task requires the collaboration of multiple arms of government, the public, and health and education providers.
The interconnectedness of issues surrounding Emirati fertility rates demands a collective and holistic approach to policy making that ensures that resulting policy recommendations are complementary and work together for an overall healthy society, where citizens are capable of maintaining their well-being and happiness.
This MBRSG Policy Council brings together key relevant partners to examine the current state of Emirati fertility rate policies in Dubai and the ways in which these policies need to become more holistic, integrated and effective in meeting the needs of the emirate of Dubai and its citizens, in order to set Dubai on the road to sustainable Emirati population growth and a more balanced demography.