Today's Edition
YUNNAN (ALETIHAD)
The Emirates Council for Balanced Development participated in the second track of the “UAE Youth Ambassadors” Programme in China, organised by the Office of Development Affairs and Martyrs’ Families at the Presidential Court.
The programme, which comprises five tracks, aims to enable Emirati youth to gain first-hand exposure to international experiences, explore diverse development models, and examine their relevance to the UAE’s national priorities and development vision.
As part of the programme, participants undertook field visits across Yunnan Province, including Shaxi Town and the villages of Shilong and Shigu, where they explored a range of practices in rural and urban development, heritage and cultural preservation, community empowerment, and the utilisation of local resources to support economic development and enhance quality of life.
The visits included the Yunnan Provincial Museum and Shaxi Ancient Town, as well as Shilong and Shigu villages.
Participants were introduced to approaches for restoring heritage sites while preserving their architectural and cultural identity, and to ways of leveraging historical and cultural assets to support tourism and economic development.
They also explored models of community governance and local participation in decision-making related to the future development of communities.
In Shaxi, participants examined how heritage has been transformed into a key driver of development through the preservation of architectural and cultural identity and the advancement of cultural tourism.
In Shilong, they learned how local agricultural products can contribute to economic growth, alongside the role of partnerships and investment in infrastructure development and quality of life.
Shigu, meanwhile, offered a model for integrating heritage, culture and local resources to support community and economic development.
As part of the programme, the Emirates Council for Balanced Development also delivered a specialised session linking the development experiences explored in China with the UAE’s development priorities and the vision of its leadership.
The session aimed to strengthen participants’ ability to assess international development experiences, analyse their key elements, and identify practices that could be adapted to local contexts.
Participants were briefed on the Council’s mandate, strategic direction, key initiatives and programmes, as well as its role in advancing the balanced development ecosystem and strengthening integration across development pathways to improve quality of life and achieve sustainable impact in communities.
The session concluded with an interactive discussion that enabled participants to exchange views, raise questions, and deepen their understanding of the opportunities, complexities and challenges associated with urban and balanced development.
Participants also reflected on how lessons drawn from China’s development experiences could be considered in light of the Emirati development experience and the UAE’s broader development priorities.
The Council’s participation in the second track of the programme underscores the importance of investing in youth as partners in shaping the future of development by equipping them with the knowledge and practical experience required to understand different development models, assess opportunities and challenges, and translate their learning into ideas and solutions that support balanced and sustainable development.
