His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II on Tuesday received United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Chairperson of the Emirates Youth Council Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrui.

Discussions at the meeting, held at Al Husseiniya Palace, covered the potential for cooperation and expertise exchange among the Crown Prince Foundation (CPF), the Emirates Youth Council, and the Arab Youth Centre, in order to empower young people in the two countries, hone their competitive and leadership skills, and encourage their sense of innovation.

Crown Prince Al Hussein affirmed the deep ties between Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, praising the UAE’s initiatives to engage and support youth.

His Royal Highness called for harnessing young people’s energies and empowering them to actively participate in the development process, stressing the importance of cooperation among the CPF, the Emirates Youth Council, and the Arab Youth Centre in this regard.

At a second meeting held at the CPF in the presence of the Crown Prince and the UAE minister, Noor Abu Ragheb, the acting CEO of the CPF, presented a briefing on the Foundation’s initiatives and programmes, as well as its goals to hone Jordanian youth’s leadership skills and harness their creativity.

The briefing also provided an initial vision on areas for potential joint work among the CPF, the Emirates Youth Council, and the Arab Youth Centre.

For her part, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mazrui highlighted a number of initiatives led by the Emirates Youth Council and its educational and vocational programmes, as well as the UAE National Youth Agenda and the Arab Youth Strategy.

In February, the CPF signed a memorandum of understanding with the Emirates Youth Council to enhance cooperation and coordination in areas such as youth initiatives and projects, as well as exchanging knowledge, expertise, and best practices on youth empowerment and capacity building.

The Director of the Office of the Crown Prince and the accompanying Emirati delegation attended the meeting.

A panel discussion on the challenges facing youth, and potential solutions, organised by the CPF and the Emirates Youth Council, was scheduled for Wednesday.

Featuring 30 young beneficiaries of CPF initiatives as participants, the focus of the panel discussion included means to channel the energies and potential of youth into a number of sectors, especially volunteerism.

Youth panel discussions offer open platforms to exchange opinions and propose solutions to overcome challenges. They also allow young people to present creative ideas and to discuss their aspirations.

In a press interview, UAE Minister of State for Youth Affairs Mazrui said her meeting with His Royal Highness was fruitful, expressing delight at visiting Jordan, which has come to be identified with young people and is recognised as a beacon of peace and hope.

The minister expressed hope that the CPF and the Arab Youth Centre in the UAE will expand cooperation to create platforms to connect young people in the two countries and in the Arab world, and to launch initiatives that harness youth energies to build a better future.

The CPF, the minister added, has taken the lead in a number of youth-centred initiatives to develop young people’s creativity and encourage them to innovate.

Meanwhile, Abu Ragheb, the acting CEO of the CPF, said the UAE minister’s visit, along with the accompanying delegation, will contribute to expertise exchange among the CPF, the Emirates Youth Council, and the Arab Youth Centre.

The visit is aimed at bolstering ongoing cooperation, under the memorandum of understanding signed this year, and seeking new ways to implement the two sides’ shared strategic goals to reach the largest number of Arab youth and make a positive impact, Abu Ragheb added.