Dubai is encouraging young Emiratis to get married, and the government is extending its support by launching the ‘Dubai Weddings’ programme.
On Monday (Jan 15), the Community Development Authority announced the programme to support citizens getting married in the emirate, reducing their financial burdens, thus encouraging them to marry and improving family stability.
The programme reflects Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s keenness to provide solutions to the challenges faced by couples preparing for marriage. It aims to offer solutions, initiatives, and support to ease their concerns and encourage them to build strong families. The ultimate goal is to enhance family unity and stability.
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The ‘Dubai Weddings’ programme incentives help reduce marriage costs, as the programme provides planning services and hosting wedding parties in modern and fully equipped halls in several areas in Dubai: Al Barsha, Al Lisaili, Hatta, and soon Al Twar Hall.
Couples preparing to get married will also be part of an awareness programme and given family counselling about marriage planning, family management, and financial affairs.
Strengthening family stability
Hessa bint Issa Buhumaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, stressed that the programme is aimed at enhancing family and social stability for citizens and focusing on increasing the number of Emirati families in society.
She hoped that the programme will mark the start of a new phase of societal awareness, emphasising the importance of building a happy and stable family within supportive financial and social conditions. The goal is to shift attention away from non-essential aspects of wedding celebrations, which can pose an additional burden on young individuals and lead to delayed marriages.
Hessa said: “The immediate goal is to provide financial and social support to young people to encourage them to get married. But we aspire for the programme to also contribute to creating a positive model for wedding celebrations and changing stereotypical ideas related to exaggerated celebrations. This will help a larger segment of young men and women to marry at an early age, which will contribute to increasing the number of Emirati families in society.”
Sheikh Mohammed launched the Dh208 billion Dubai Social Agenda programme earlier this month, with one of its key objectives being to achieve a doubling of the number of Emirati families in the emirate within a decade.
Sheikh Mohammed announced the Dubai Social Agenda 33 on January 14. The Dubai Ruler approved a series of projects for the year 2024, and the Dubai Social Agenda 33 is inspired by the overarching theme of ‘Family: The Foundation of Our Nation’.
The approved projects include allocating 3,500 plots of land to be distributed among citizens in Dubai, besides 2,300 ready-to-move-in houses across Dubai valued at Dh5.5 billion. The move reflects His Highness’s unwavering commitment to provide all necessary support to citizens to ensure the welfare and well-being of their families. His Highness also issued directives to name the new area designated for the housing project for citizens as ‘Latifa City’.