The year 2020 is set to be an exceptional time for the UAE and its residents as preparations for the next 50 years begin. With the theme ‘2020: Towards the Next 50’, this year will witness a comprehensive national strategy as the nation approaches its Golden Jubilee in 2021. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces announced that the entire year ahead will focus “Towards the next 50.”
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid earlier said the country’s “Year of Preparation” will help shape the country’s priorities towards growth and development in an upward trajectory.
“The UAE approaches its Golden Jubilee in 2021, a new milestone that celebrates 50 years of our young country and begins the journey to the next 50 years. Preparations for our new journey start next year 2020. Together, we welcome 2020: Towards the next 50,” tweeted HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
With the upcoming giant leaps that the country will be facing, here are the five key sectors that Filipinos can anticipate major changes and developments in for the next five decades.
Economy: Thrusting Tourism
The UAE has notably pushed tourism to the forefront as the country aims to depend less on oil in the coming years as it envisions to attract over 20 million visitors this 2020.
The past decade alone has witnessed the emergence of the now iconic tourist attractions and family-friendly areas around the country that includes the Ferrari World in 2010, Dubai Miracle Garden and Yas Waterworld in 2013, its very own Louvre Abu Dhabi in 2017, Warner Bros. World in 2018, Presidential Palace and Qasr Al Watan in 2019 and more.
This 2020, the world awaits the opening of new tourist sites that will include Ain Dubai – the world’s largest observation wheel, its very own Madame Tussauds both of which are at Dubai’s Blue Waters; the Museum of the Future that will house futuristic prototypes and robotic creations, Snow Abu Dhabi that’s expected to be at least four times the size of Ski Dubai with a freezing temperature of -2 all year long, and several other attractions that will be revealed soon.
Education: Infusing modernized strategies in traditional teaching
From 2010-2020, the Ministry of Education has laid out a comprehensive plan to lead the next generation of leaders in a ‘knowledge economy’ that stems from a high quality curriculum complemented by excellence in teaching, modernized facilities, and adaptable educational strategies.
In a recent meeting chaired by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of the Education and Human Resources Council, the council oversaw new ideas on the national curriculums focusing on sports, health, education, and extracurricular activities across all levels; new and improved methods on pushing the Arabic language to the forefront; as well as the country’s plans to further the educational aid and scholarship they provide for other countries to open opportunities for foreign students to study here.
Infrastructure: Towards new heights, blazing speeds
From the inauguration of the Burj Khalifa as the World’s Tallest Tower at 2,722 ft in 2010, the UAE has continued to build more megastructures as it continues to accommodate more tourists, residents, and businesses.
One of the highly anticipated buildings set to open in 2020 is the tower that will beat the record set by Burj Khalifa – the Dubai Creek Tower that’s approximately 3,045 feet tall – making it around 320 feet taller than the Burj Khalifa.
In addition, Dubai will soon witness the opening of the highly-anticipated Hyperloop One that promises travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and vice versa in only 12 minutes.
Health: Future readiness
The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHaP) aims to continue providing comprehensive healthcare services for all residents while continuing to implement new technologies that deliver faster services.
Among the new medical milestones that the UAE and the whole Middle East have witnessed was advanced surgical robot technology used on two surgeries done and supervised by the medical team at a hospital in Dubai.
The sensitive surgeries done successfully by the robot serve as a testament to MoHaP’s drive to increase efficiency in treating patients to ensure fewer complications, shorter hospital stays and a quicker recovery period so that the patient will return to their regular daily activities sooner.
Media: Amplifying UAE’s message to the world
Media were instrumental in propelling the image of the UAE towards greater heights as it highlighted the country’s achievements and crowning glories.
Just last week in December 17, the launch of the online voting on the UAE Nation Brand across all forms of media in the UAE and beyond attracted over 1.5 million votes from 130 countries and 2,000 cities to select one of three logos that will represent the UAE’s exceptional and inspiring story of success to the world.
The next five decades will see the UAE continue its strong relationship and partnership with the media as it works together in uplifting the image of the country and its residents in positioning the UAE as a forward-looking nation.
Surging requirements
A study by MEED, the Middle East’s Business Intelligence portal, Jobs: Surging requirements, projects the creation of over 720,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2028 for the tourism sector alone, bolstered by the anticipated arrivals of over 33.5 million visitors on the same projected year.
This marks over 134,000 jobs that will be created in the years to come after on top of the 585,500 direct and indirect jobs that are already in the market.
A survey about the upcoming Expo 2020 featured in ADGECO, one of Abu Dhabi-based holding companies, also states that over 57% of respondents are optimistic that the Dubai Expo 2020 will push further creation of jobs and launch of new businesses in the country.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is optimistic that residents of the UAE will stand together to collectively bring this vision to life as the country welcomes its Golden Jubilee this 2021: “We will work together as citizens and residents across all sectors towards the next 50. United, we can make significant changes and raise our aspirations.”
He added, “With the willpower and unity of our people, we will work tirelessly to achieve our goal in making the UAE among the best countries in the world by the UAE centennial in 2071.”
