The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will designate 2026 as the Year of the Family, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, framing family cohesion and social stability as central to national development.
Sheikh Mohamed made the announcement during a session on the National Family Growth Agenda 2031 held as part of the 2025 Annual Government Meetings in Abu Dhabi.
The session gathered federal and local officials to review progress and set priorities to support Emirati families.
UAE declares 2026 as the Year of the Family
Sheikh Mohamed said family growth is a โnational priority.โ He said strong and stable families support prosperity and help preserve values of unity, empathy and cooperation in society. The Year of the Family 2026 will promote awareness of the importance of family ties and the transmission of core Emirati values to future generations.
A national task force of more than 20 federal and local entities will implement the agenda through three pathways: policy development, behavioural insights and reproductive health initiatives. The plan is intended to guide programmes that encourage family wellbeing, informed choices and supportive services.
Sheikh Mohamed highlighted the role of the Ministry of Family, established to develop national strategies that back family wellbeing and reinforce the familyโs role in nurturing values, national identity and responsible upbringing. The ministry will coordinate across government to align programmes and measure outcomes.
The president linked the 2026 theme to the wider โUAE Year Ofโ initiative launched in 2015, which sets an annual focus to mobilise institutions and communities. In 2026, he said, the initiative will centre on โhighlighting the family as the cornerstone of society and a pillar of national prosperity.โ
Sheikh Mohamed called on healthcare, education, housing, the economy and media to advance a unified national narrative on the familyโs role. He said collaboration and shared responsibility would help the UAE sustain families that reflect national values and contribute to the countryโs future.
Across the Gulf, governments have introduced programmes to support marriage, housing and child wellbeing as part of broader social policy goals. The UAE initiative places Emirati families at the core of policy coordination under the National Family Growth Agenda 2031.
