President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has declared 2026 as the Year of the Family, underscoring the UAE’s commitment to strengthening family cohesion and social stability as key pillars of national development.
The announcement came during a session on the National Family Growth Agenda 2031, held as part of the 2025 Annual Government Meetings in Abu Dhabi. The event brought together senior federal and local government leaders to review progress and outline new strategies supporting Emirati families.
Sheikh Mohamed said the family is at the heart of the UAE’s identity, continuity, and national security, describing family growth as a “national priority.” He emphasised that strong, stable families are essential to the country’s prosperity and to preserving the values of unity, empathy and cooperation that define Emirati society.
The Year of the Family 2026 will focus on raising awareness of the importance of strong family ties and ensuring that core Emirati values are passed down to future generations.
A national task force, comprising over 20 federal and local entities, has been formed to implement the agenda through three main pathways: policy development, behavioural insights, and reproductive health initiatives.
The President highlighted the pivotal role of the Ministry of Family, which was established to develop national strategies supporting family wellbeing and to reinforce the family’s role in nurturing values, national identity, and responsible upbringing.
Sheikh Mohamed called on all sectors, including healthcare, education, housing, the economy, and media, to work together to promote a unified national narrative that celebrates the central role of the family.
He also praised the long-running ‘UAE Year Of’ initiative, launched in 2015, for fostering national unity and collective action. In 2026, he said, it would focus on “highlighting the family as the cornerstone of society and a pillar of national prosperity”.
Sheikh Mohamed concluded by expressing confidence that, through collaboration and shared responsibility, the UAE will continue to nurture families that embody the nation’s values and contribute to its sustainable future.
Follow us on
