Khaberni - A report issued by the Federal National Council in the UAE identified 15 recommendations to increase fertility rates in the country, enhance the growth of the Emirati family, and address the decline in birth rates in the UAE over the past years. The report revealed that the next five years will see a 30% increase in the proportion of women of early reproductive age.
Recommendations of the report to boost fertility rates in the country include launching a comprehensive and targeted national strategy focused on boosting fertility rates, setting clear performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of government programs and initiatives, promoting government initiatives aimed at encouraging and facilitating early marriage for young men and women, crafting qualitative and quantitative indicators to ensure the effectiveness of existing health policies to boost fertility rates, establishing a federal fertilization center with consideration to the geographic distribution of existing centers, providing insurance coverage for fertilization treatments across all Emirates, recruiting specialized fertilization staff, expanding ongoing medical education and training programs, and strengthening the control and inspection procedures on medical assistance centers on reproduction, to ensure their compliance with ethics and medical practices, and to curb financial exploitation of patients.
The recommendations include: increasing the value of the children's allowance to match current economic changes, linking the value of housing loans and the repayment period to the number of children in the family, increasing maternity leave and breastfeeding hours, considering granting «child care leave» for working mothers in both public and private sectors, giving priority to working mothers in applying remote and hybrid work systems, prioritizing the preparation of specialized studies and research to explore factors influencing fertility rates, considering the possibility of reducing working hours for working mothers, in addition to launching an educational and awareness-raising plan concerning the risks of delaying marriage and parenting decisions, in coordination with health, educational, religious, media institutions, and public benefit and neighborhood councils.
The report highlighted that the Ministry of Family Affairs is tackling the challenges that hinder increasing fertility rates and the growth of the Emirati family, by prioritizing this issue and involving all relevant parties. This file is a priority in their agenda, and the first phase of the comprehensive national demographic evaluation has already begun, within an analytical framework based on accurate data, benchmark comparisons, and a thorough reading of social and economic factors to design and implement interventions that will have the most significant impact, adopting a collaborative approach involving (17) concerned entities at both federal and local levels to ensure integrated efforts and consistent policies, reflecting the multidimensional influence in this matter.
The ministry is also reimagining marriage experiences to support Emirati citizens in marriage-related experiences, including related standards for granting marriage and its value, and studying other incentives that go beyond the financial aspect, which, although important, is not the only or main focus of the issue, as there are many psychological and intellectual aspects that must be addressed.
The report pointed out that despite the decrease in the number of births in recent years, the future holds an optimistic outlook, as accurate figures indicate an expected 30% increase in the number of women of early reproductive age in the next five to eight years.
Decline in birth rates
The report warned of the decline in birth rates in the UAE, noting that the number of Emirati births decreased from 2015 to 2022 by 11%, while the number of non-citizen births increased by 5%, with the number of Emirati births in 2022 amounting to 30,889, compared to 65,762 non-citizen births, highlighting the need for short and long-term strategies and solutions due to their importance and impact on social stability, economic growth, and national identity.
