Dubai: With 2017 around the corner, residents hope the new year will help their circumstances take a turn for the better. Gulf News asked people from various backgrounds to share their hopes and aspirations for the coming 12 months. What was common among of them is a desire for peace to prevail in the world.
Rania Al Kebbe, 24, media relations executive, Lebanese
For the coming year, my only wish is that I stop dreaming. I want to start adapting to whatever is real, I don’t what to pray for peace, rather for patience. I don’t want to ask people to love one another, rather I want them to accept one another.
Deema Abu-dalo, 23, architect and designer, Jordanian
I hope for the development and implementation of better conflict resolution strategies in the region. I hope to hear less about war in the Arab world and more about real action taken towards alleviating the refugee crisis. I hope to hear Arab women’s names achieving major advances in the political, scientific, and artistic fields.
Syed Zubair Haider, 37, marketing professional, Pakistani
I hope for more tolerance among people, more love and empathy, to ensure that we all grow as people and as a society. Live and let live. I also hope more public and private services go online, allowing residents to complete their formalities from the comfort of their homes.
Shahd Bargouthy, 26, public relations manager, Jordanian
With such a sad series of events occurring in the world in 2016, I really hope 2017 brings more peace to the region, especially in Syria and Yemen. We have had enough of plane crashes, terrorist attacks, civil wars and natural disasters. The world would be a better place if we focused our energy on technology, travel, innovation and medical advancements.
Mohammad Omar, 40, businessman, British
I truly hope the new year will usher in a world that is more sympathetic to the poor and downtrodden. As we mark a new beginning, let us not forget those who are less fortunate than us. I applaud the UAE’s initiative of declaring 2017 as the Year of Giving. I am confident that it will inspire people to give back to the community.
Gracielle Diane Dalangin, 22, marketing assistant, Filipina
I hope that in 2017 people would be more mindful of the way they conduct themselves, the way they treat other people (traffic-wise) in the UAE where almost all nationalities reside. I also hope and pray for all of us to be reminded that God unceasingly guides and loves us in our everyday lives. I believe that we need to be reminded of this more often, given our daily struggles, and given the conflicts around us. I hope 2017 would be the year when all hostilities would end and civilians caught in cross-fire would no longer have to live the same kind of life they now do.
— With inputs from Paul Crompton and Janice Leon
