that of encouraging the UAE's citizens to participate more actively in the process of the country's growth. Through such empowerment, whether in the economic, social or political fields, continued progress, on a sustainable basis, can be assured. The latest, 2012, Human Development Report issued by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, places the UAE in 30th place globally. At the end of 2011, according to figures released by the National Statistics Centre, 61.9 per cent of all posts in the federal civil service, numbering 34,604 in all, were held by Emiratis, including all senior posts, while by the end of next year, the percentage is expected to rise to 74 per cent for 48 federal government ministries and agencies.
