
On Union Pledge Day, UAE celebrates journey from federation to global leadership
The day is one of the most important days in the history of the UAE, as the declaration of the Union and the UAE Constitution were signed, and its name was announced, with the solid foundation for its establishment laid on 2nd December.
Union Pledge Day was designated as a national occasion by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to reaffirm loyalty to the homeland and celebrate the country's continued development. The day aims to strengthen national identity and raise public awareness of the foundational steps that propelled the UAE to its current status as a regional and global leader.
The occasion highlights the vision and sacrifices of the founding fathers, whose legacy continues to shape the UAE's trajectory.
In his first address to the nation as President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed said, 'Today, we see our nation ranked among the most advanced nations globally, as well as being one of the best places to live and work.
This was the vision of the late Sheikh Zayed and our founding fathers, and we thank God for this blessing. We will continue to follow their wise approach, drawing inspiration from their unfaltering leadership. Our history, identity, and cultural heritage will form an essential part of our plans for the future."
Union Pledge Day also serves to honour the UAE's achievements in state-building and unity, forged amid complex regional dynamics. The founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed, led the country through the formation of the Arab world's first federal state and launched one of the region's largest development drives.
Following Sheikh Zayed's leadership, the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan led the empowerment phase (2004–2022), strengthening institutions, promoting education, and advancing citizen participation in national development.
Under his leadership, the UAE achieved record growth across economic, service, humanitarian, infrastructure, renewable energy and space exploration sectors. The country became the second-largest economy in the Arab world and the first Arab and Muslim nation to reach Mars.
Sheikh Khalifa's forward-looking strategies included the Principles of the 50, UAE Vision 2021, the UAE Strategy for Government Services (2021–2025), UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, the National Space Strategy 2030, and the UAE's Net Zero 2050 Strategy.
Since 2022, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE has continued to achieve major milestones across economic, social, political and development domains. The country continues to rank highly in regional and global competitiveness indices.
Economic diversification has gained momentum, with significant growth in tourism, trade, financial services, industry, real estate, telecoms and technology. The Central Bank of the UAE expects real GDP to expand by 4.4 percent in 2025, fuelled by rising foreign investment and robust non-oil sectors.
In Q1 2025, non-oil foreign trade reached Dhs835 billion, with exports hitting a record Dhs177.3 billion in the first three months of 2025.
Over the past five decades, the UAE economy has witnessed remarkable growth across key sectors, with the country's GDP rising from Dhs58.3 billion in 1975 to Dhs17 trillion in 2024. During the same period, foreign trade surged from Dhs11.5 billion to Dhs5.23 trillion.
In January, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed declared 2025 the 'Year of Community,' aimed at strengthening intergenerational ties and social cohesion. The government allocated Dhs27.9 billion—39 percent of the 2025 federal budget—to social development, underscoring its commitment to citizen welfare and cultural preservation.
Internationally, the UAE remains a key partner in peacebuilding and humanitarian efforts. Guided by values of tolerance and coexistence, the country actively supports global stability and justice. Since its founding, the UAE has provided Dhs368 billion in foreign aid, benefiting more than one billion people worldwide across humanitarian and development sectors.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Emirates 24/7
5 hours ago
- Emirates 24/7
EU solar energy rollout declines for first time in decade as subsidies cut
The European Union's expansion of solar energy is on track for its first annual downturn in more than a decade, industry data showed on Thursday, as some governments reduce subsidies for rooftop solar panels, Reuters reported. The trend reflects shifting political priorities in Europe as some member countries have scaled back green measures or support for clean energy from budgets stretched by spending on defence and local industries. The EU is on track to install 64.2 gigawatts of new solar energy capacity in 2025, a 1.4% decrease compared with the 65.1GW installed last year, industry association SolarPower Europe said. The drop would mark the first time since 2015 that the growth of Europe's solar market has slowed year on year, denting an area of fast progress in Europe's shift to clean energy. Solar capacity growth soared by 51% in 2023, although last year growth had already slowed to 3%. Last month, solar generated 22% of total EU electricity, making it the EU's largest single source of power generation that month. But current deployment rates now indicate the EU will fall short, by about 27GW, of the 750GW of solar capacity which SolarPower Europe said is needed by 2030 for the EU's climate targets and plans to phase out Russian energy. The main cause of the downturn is fewer residential rooftop solar panel installations - a sector that is set to make up 15% of total new capacity this year, halving the roughly 30% share it held over 2020 to 2023. Germany and France are among the countries reducing their feed-in tariff payments for rooftop solar energy, while the Netherlands is also reducing support for households that export their excess solar power to the grid.


TAG 91.1
6 hours ago
- TAG 91.1
UAE condemns Israeli vote to annex West Bank in joint statement
The UAE, alongside 11 other countries and organisations, has condemned the Israeli Knesset's vote to impose Israeli sovereignty over the occupied West Bank. A joint statement issued by the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said the resolution, which passed 71-13 in Israel's parliament, is a violation of several UN Security Council resolutions and considered invalid. The signatories said that Israel has 'no sovereignty' over the occupied Palestinian territory and the vote has no legal effect on the status of the territory, adding such Israeli actions only fuel the growing tension in the region, which has been exacerbated by the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe. "Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory and affirm that this unilateral Israeli action has no legal effect and cannot change the legal status of the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly East Jerusalem, which remains an integral part of that territory," the statement said. The parties also called on the international community to "assume their legal and moral responsibilities" and take urgent action to halt "illegal Israeli policies aimed at imposing a fait accompli by force." Lawmakers of the Israeli parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of a non-binding motion put forth by far-right ministers to annex the West Bank. 'The land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel,' declared Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana following the vote. 'These unilateral Israeli actions blatantly violate international law and the ongoing international consensus regarding the status of the Palestinian territories, including the West Bank,'Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said on social media platform X. The symbolic vote comes a year after a similar one was approved by the Israeli legislative body that declared opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.


Al Etihad
9 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed chairs 2nd meeting of International Humanitarian and Philanthropy Council
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD) His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs and Chairman of the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council (IHPC), has chaired the second IHPC meeting. The meeting discussed the strategic direction of the foreign aid sector and reviewed the 2024 Foreign Aid Report, as well as programmes to empower professionals in the humanitarian sector. His Highness emphasised the importance of collective efforts among all relevant local entities to implement diverse humanitarian and development initiatives across various countries, in alignment with the UAE's civilisational mission toward development and prosperity. This mission, which was established by the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, has been reinforced by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. The UAE is steadfast in its international humanitarian commitment to supporting communities in need and providing sustainable development solutions to address pressing challenges across global priority areas. His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the importance of aligning the UAE's humanitarian and development programmes with national priorities and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals – particularly in areas such as education, healthcare systems, disease eradication, poverty and hunger alleviation, water security, economic growth, environmental preservation, and biodiversity. His Highness noted that the UAE's numerous projects across different continents reflect its pioneering role in humanitarian and development fields on a global scale. The meeting affirmed the importance of institutionalising the UAE's generosity as a pioneering model in international aid and development, while enhancing the dignity and prosperity of communities at the receiving end. It also highlighted the UAE's ongoing approach of leveraging resources, capabilities, and partnerships to support needy communities. The goal is to work with partners to achieve lasting and sustainable humanitarian impact, enhance innovation and sustainability, integrate foreign aid programmes to create economic opportunities, and improve effective communication in humanitarian work. The meeting also reviewed the Humanitarian Foresight Programme, which aims to empower leaders at varying levels by enhancing their skills, knowledge, and experience. The programme equips participants with the latest scientific and technological knowledge in humanitarian and development fields, aligned with national priorities. It also strengthens the capabilities of professionals in donor institutions and charitable organisations to plan and implement a variety of humanitarian and development initiatives globally. The meeting also addressed the council's support for the Master of Arts in Humanitarian and Development Work at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy. This aligns with the council's objectives to enhance specialised competencies among personnel in relevant humanitarian institutions – particularly the UAE Aid Agency. The programme aims to refine participants' decision-making and multicultural team management skills, enhance their ability to run humanitarian programmes, and deepen their understanding of development and humanitarian studies within the context of international relations, international law, diplomacy, and global humanitarian and development priorities. The meeting was attended by Her Excellency Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Community Empowerment; His Excellency Faris Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Advisor at the Presidential Court; His Excellency Dr Hamdan Musallam Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the UAE Red Crescent Authority; and His Excellency Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.