The UAE's first Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrui, will be the keynote speaker at the unveiling of the 8th yearly ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey on Tuesday, April 12.

At 22, Al Mazrui ended up being the youngest minister in the UAE Cabinet when she took up the post revealed by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in a reshuffle in February.

Sunil John, CEO of ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, stated: "We are happy, and honoured, that Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrui will be delivering the keynote at the occasion. There are 200 million people under the age of 30 across the Middle East and North Africa. Understanding their hopes and aspirations is extremely important for policymakers, and businesses, across the region. It is clear that the leadership of the UAE comprehends this, and the appointment of such a qualified person to this newly-established post is a testament to how seriously the government is taking youth concerns.

The UAE's first Rhodes Scholar, Al Mazrui holds a Masters of Public Policy with Distinction from Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government, and a Bachelors degree from NYU Abu Dhabi, where she finished Magna Cum Laude in the university's inaugural class. At NYU Abu Dhabi, Al Mazrui conducted comprehensive research study on Emirati women' perceptions of the labour market.

Al Mazrui, who worked as an equity expert prior to her appointment as Minister is a recipient of the HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Distinction Award, the Coutts Future Leader 2015 Award, the UAE Distinguished Student Scholarship of His Highness the President of the UAE, and the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Scholarship for Exceptional Emirati Students.

ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller will reveal the results of the 2016 Arab Youth Survey at a gala customer event at the Ritz-Calton, Dubai International Financial Centre. The findings will be disputed by a high level panel comprising Khaled Al Maeena, previous editor in chief of Arab News and the Saudi Gazette; Sara Al Sarah Yousef Amiri; Head of the Council of UAE Scientists, and Science Lead, Emirates Mars Mission (Hope Mission); Faisal Al Yafai, Chief Columnist, The National paper; and Chaker Khazaal, writer, spokesperson, reporter, and Huffington Post contributor. The panel will be moderated by Alaa Shahine, Editor for politics and macroeconomics in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey at Bloomberg.

Released in 2008, the ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey presents evidence-based insights into the mindsets of Arab youth, providing public and private sector organisations with information and analysis to notify their decision-making and policy formation.

For this year's survey, worldwide polling company Penn Schoen Berland (PSB) carried out 3,500 in person interviews with specifically Arab national men and women aged 18-24 in the 6 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain; Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Yemen. The interviews were conducted from January 11 to February 22, 2016.

In-depth results from the 8th Annual ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, consisting of study highlights and a white paper in Arabic and English, will be readily available on www.arabyouthsurvey.com after the findings are revealed.