UAE Year Of
Year of Community 2025
Through this year, we aim to:
Unite by reinforcing community bonds within families and society at large, preserving cultural heritage, nurturing intergenerational relationships, and creating inclusive spaces that encourage collaboration, a sense of belonging, and shared experiences.
Contribute by promoting a culture of shared responsibility, encouraging all who call the UAE home to actively engage in society through service, volunteering, and meaningful initiatives, fostering mutual care and driving collective progress.
Grow by unlocking the potential of individuals, families, and organisations, building skills, developing talent, and embracing innovation in areas such as entrepreneurship and emerging industries like AI and other national priority sectors, to enable inclusive growth and skill-sharing and create a lasting positive impact.
Year of Family 2026
Following the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and as part of the UAE Year of Initiative, 2026 has been designated as the Year of Family.
This national initiative calls on everyone who calls the UAE home to celebrate the family as the foundation of a strong, united, and compassionate community. It seeks to deepen awareness of the importance of nurturing close family bonds — the roots from which resilient communities grow — and to uphold the enduring values of unity, care, and cooperation, ensuring these values are passed on to future generations.
Overview of the UAE Year Of Initiative
The UAE Year Of Initiative is a national initiative that unites everyone who calls the UAE home in driving national priorities and inspiring collective action and positive behaviour through domestic storytelling. The initiative brings together government entities, private sector partners, and the wider community around a common purpose.
2025 was declared the Year of Community, celebrating the UAE’s spirit of unity and inclusion. The year focuses on strengthening social bonds, encouraging collective action and growth, and reaffirming the shared values that bring people together across the nation.
2024 continued as the Year of Sustainability, mobilising daily practices for long-term environmental goals and building on the foundations set in 2023 across four key behaviours: green transportation, conserving energy and water, responsible consumption, and planting wisely.
2023 was declared the Year of Sustainability. It aimed to inspire and change behaviours towards sustainable practices and collective action. Under the slogan “Today for Tomorrow", it fostered public participation in three key areas: responsible consumption, encouraging conservation initiatives, and mitigating climate change.
2021 was declared the Year of the 50th, marking the UAE’s Golden Jubilee. The year honoured five decades of unity and achievement, while shaping forward-looking strategies to continue the nation’s legacy of ambition, progress, and collective pride.
In the midst of the global pandemic's impact in 2020, the UAE announced that 2020 was the year that propelled the nation Towards the Next 50. It focused on launching one of the largest national strategies for the next 50 years and preparing for the nation's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2021.
2019 was declared the Year of Tolerance, promoting coexistence, inclusion, and human dignity. The year focused on reinforcing harmony across society and saw the UAE host the Special Olympics, championing the rights and visibility of People of Determination.
2018 was declared the Year of Zayed, marking 100 years since the birth of the UAE's Founding Father—the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The year focused on promoting the life, legacy, and values of the late leader.
2017 was declared the Year of Giving, championing a national spirit of generosity. The year focused on philanthropy and volunteerism, launching initiatives like the UAE Food Bank to extend compassion, dignity, and hope from the UAE and its leaders to the world.
2016 was declared the Year of Reading, advancing literacy as a national priority. The year focused on fostering a reading culture, launching long-term educational initiatives, and laying the foundation for March to be celebrated annually as Reading Month.
2015 was declared the Year of Innovation, advancing the UAE’s ambition to lead globally in innovation. The year launched UAE Innovates, mobilising government, private sector, and individuals to embed a national culture of forward-thinking solutions and breakthroughs.