As the UAE’s 50th anniversary since its founding as a nation approaches, notable opportunities exist to highlight the country’s recent achievements and constructive vision for international cooperation, security, stability, and prosperity.
Overview:
· The UAE is a young, resourceful, and progressive nation that constantly seeks to better itself and the world around it. It is founded on the values of tolerance, equality, inclusion, moderation, resilience, and generosity. The UAE has developed a unique model that benefits the entire Middle East — one that empowers women, embraces diversity, encourages innovation, and welcomes global engagement.
· Over the past 50 years, the UAE has moved rapidly from a pearl industry to a fully diversified modern economy that is now leading the world in technology, science, and sustainability. A hub for trade and logistics for centuries due to its unique position, the modern UAE has a global presence that focuses on innovation, technology, and education.
· The UAE Government is constantly working to enhance the economy’s competitiveness and sustainability and provide new investment opportunities, particularly in the fields of technology, space, food security, and medicine.
· The vision for the next 50 years is to make the UAE the global capital of investment and economic creativity, an integrated incubator for entrepreneurship and emerging projects, and an advanced laboratory for new economic opportunities, as the UAE aims to consolidate its status on par with key economic players like Singapore, South Korea, and Switzerland.
Peace and Security:
· The UAE stands for diplomacy over conflict, partnerships over unilateralism, and dialogue over confrontation. The UAE believes in the power of mediation and de-escalation, maintaining friendly and mutually supportive relations with as many nations as possible. The UAE believes that the most pressing threats to human development – such as food insecurity, violent conflict, global health, and climate change – can be overcome through international cooperation.
· In the last year, the UAE signed the Abraham Accords with Israel, ushering in a new era of cooperation, peace, and stability in an often troubled region. It supported the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Al Ula Declaration and has exerted diplomatic efforts to promote stability in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
· The UAE seeks peaceful solutions and de-escalation with Iran and Turkey and to assist with humanitarian solutions in Yemen and elsewhere. The UAE has always sought to mediate between parties in conflict, to de-escalate tensions, and develop inclusive political processes and security approaches to ensure durable transitions out of conflict. The UAE rejects violent extremism in all its forms and works with its international partners to target material and ideological support for terrorism and extremism worldwide.
· Following its election as a member of the UN Security Council under the theme Stronger United, the UAE works to bring that belief to life through its actions at home and diplomacy abroad. On the Security Council, the UAE will be a constructive partner to address some of the critical challenges of our time: promoting gender equality, fostering tolerance and countering terrorism and extremism, building resiliency to climate change, prioritizing humanitarian relief and sustaining peace, tackling global health crises, and harnessing the potential of innovation.
Women’s Empowerment:
· The UAE is a progressive, moderate society where women hold leadership roles in all sectors and industries – including government, military, business and society—and participate meaningfully in every facet of civic and political life.
· 9 women constitute 29% of ministerial positions, one of the highest proportions in the Middle East. Women occupy 50 percent of the Federal National Council’s seats. According to the IMF World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020, the UAE ranked first in the female parliamentary representation index.
· Moreover, nearly 50 percent of the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation’s employees are women, and nearly a third of UAE diplomats are female.
· 77% of Emirati women enroll in higher education after secondary school and make up 70% of all university graduates in the UAE, among the highest participation rates in the world. 56% of total graduates in the fields of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics are women. 34% of the Emirates Mars Mission team is comprised of women, and women comprised 70% of the team behind the UAE Astronaut Program, which produced the UAE’s first astronaut.
Personal Status Reforms:
· Recently, the UAE adopted important legislative changes in line with its aspirations and international human rights commitments, as well as its vision to continue serving as an open, tolerant destination in which over 200 nationalities live and work. Significant progress has been made to promote and ensure the rights of workers, women, and children; implement domestic legal frameworks for people of determination; and ratify additional international human rights conventions.
· In 2020, the UAE Government moved to liberalize laws relating to divorce and inheritance, alcohol consumption, and cohabitation while also strengthening laws around sexual harassment and assault. These reforms include changes to allow expatriates to choose which legal system applies to their inheritance, permit the sale and consumption of liquor in authorized locations, and end the criminalization of consensual relations outside of marriage.
· The UAE’s National Human Rights Committee is launching a process to strengthen protections for human rights in the UAE. The committee is preparing a national plan that will serve as a comprehensive and integrated national human rights framework in the UAE.
Artificial Intelligence, Technology, and Space:
· The UAE has strongly emphasized the use of information technology and AI, investing significant resources in building capacity among Emirati youth as part of its future-oriented vision for scientific progress and human advancement. This has enabled the UAE to emerge as a pioneer in the technology domain, making the UAE an exceptional role model for digital development in the Middle East and worldwide in fields such as AI, cloud computing, big data, and blockchain.
· The UAE’s National Cybersecurity Strategy contains more than 60 initiatives to create a secure and resilient cyber environment. The UAE cooperates with other nations to streamline services and ensure data protection. It has also signed anti-espionage agreements and bilateral and multilateral agreements on data privacy.
· In the space sector, the Mars Hope Probe, which reached Mars in February 2021 and stands as a historic achievement for the UAE, sent a message of hope to youth in the Arab world. The Hope Probe represents the ambitions of the Emirati nation and the aspirations of Arab and Muslim peoples for a brighter future.
· It is also remarkable to note that 90% of the Emirates Mars Mission scientific team is composed of women. Their example has already inspired a new group of young Emirati women: more than 1,400 women applied to join the Emirates Mars Mission program to further build on these outstanding achievements.
Key soft power pillars and priorities:
· The UAE aims to serve as a constructive partner to address some of the most critical challenges of our time by promoting gender equality, fostering tolerance and countering terrorism and extremism, building resiliency to climate change, prioritizing humanitarian relief, tackling global health crises and pandemics, and harnessing the potential of innovation for peace.
· To advance inclusion, the UAE continues to support all efforts to eradicate extremism and terrorism by promoting acceptance and multiculturalism at home and in international fora.
· In driving global innovation, we seek to bring nations together to seize opportunities provided by new technology, financing approaches, and policies. The UAE uses a model of “future preparedness,” forecasting future opportunities and risks and aligning government to address them as a commercial and creative melting pot at a global crossroad.
· To build resilience, the UAE believes that the most pressing threats to human can only be overcome through international cooperation. The UAE has consistently been one of the world’s most generous donors relative to gross national income and has provided assistance to more than 175 countries.
Projects of the 50:
· In September 2021, the UAE launched a new round of national strategic projects to lead the next era of domestic and international growth, called ‘Projects of the 50.’ Projects of the 50 provides an impetus for investment in the digital and circular economies, as well as sectors based on artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution.
· This initiative includes the largest set of judicial and legislative changes in the history of the UAE with new laws, national initiatives to support Emirati talents and entrepreneurs, projects to attract foreign investors, and partnerships with major economies.
· Projects of the 50 aims to boost the country’s economic competitiveness and attract $150 billion (AED 550 billion) in foreign direct investment in the next nine years across key sectors, including digital economy, entrepreneurship, advanced skills, space, and advanced technologies.
Project 50 initiatives announced recently:
· Through the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council, chaired by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the UAE aims to create 75,000 private sector jobs for Emiratis by allocating $6.5 billion over the next five years with incentives for Emiratis to join the private sector and gain the backing they need to thrive and prosper.
· Restructuring the entry and residency system, including the announcement of the Green Visa, the Freelancer Visa, and expanding eligibility for the Golden Visa. The introduction of the Green Visa targets highly skilled individuals, investors, entrepreneurs, and top students and graduates and will relax restrictions for freelancers and divorced and widowed individuals.
· Launch of the “Invest.ae” portal targeting several key foreign markets, including Russia, Australia, the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Italy, Hungary, China, United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Poland, New Zealand, and Indonesia.
· Initiative to attract 100 coders every single day to enhance the country’s position as a global capital for programmers and specialized talents. The project adds 3,000 programmers per month to the UAE workforce by granting a set of incentives to attract talent and facilitate the establishment of programming companies in the country. The project aims to enhance skills, especially for programmers, with the aim of having the highest ratio of female coders per capita in the next five years.
· Establishment of comprehensive economic partnership agreements with eight key global markets around the world to boost the UAE’s position as the main gateway for global trade and investment.
UAE vision in the next 50 years:
· Through its support for international institutions, the UAE seeks to reinforce the rule of international law, and to support the implementation of international conventions, protecting the interests of the small, the weak and the powerless. Foreign aid targeting poverty reduction, education and public health is a priority as well. The UAE is consistently one of the world’s largest foreign aid donors as a percentage of gross national income dedicated to assistance, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
· The UAE is constantly working to enhance the economy’s competitiveness as a leading intellectual powerhouse in science and technology, and to provide new investment opportunities in these areas, as well as space, food security and the medical sector. The UAE seeks to ensure the availability of resources necessary for its continued progress, including natural, human, medical and other resources, and a sustainable model for food and water security.
· The UAE is also one of very few countries forecasting a rapid and comprehensive recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. Continuing legal and business reforms, combined with the recent relaxation of restrictions on foreign ownership of companies, retirement visas, and remote work options, are critical to advancing the UAE’s agenda post-COVID-19. Rapid development of the UAE’s legal system and domestic policies reflects the country’s commitment to evolving societal norms to future-proof the country for enduring tolerance, prosperity, peace, and happiness.
UAE Foreign Policy Outlook:
· The UAE has always sought to play a positive role on the regional and international levels. Within the Arabian Gulf region and broader Arab world, the UAE seeks to enhance cooperation and resolve disagreement through dialogue, diplomacy, and constructive engagement. Over the next 50 years, the UAE will aim to advance this vision by continuing to play a positive role across the region and beyond.
· The UAE continues to seek de-escalation and stands for diplomacy over conflict, partnerships over unilateralism, and dialogue over confrontation. It seeks to develop existing alliances and foster external relations to support domestic development and international engagement.
· The UAE has always sought to mediate between parties in conflict while advocating for confidence-building measures to develop inclusive political processes and security approaches that ensure durable transitions out of conflict. It plays a supporting role to achieve the common interests of the international community. The UAE rejects violent extremism in all its forms and works with its international partners to target material and ideological support for terrorism and extremism worldwide.
· Following its election as a member of the UN Security Council under the theme Stronger United, the UAE works to bring that belief to life through its actions at home and diplomacy abroad. On the Security Council, the UAE will be a constructive partner to address some of the critical challenges of our time: promoting gender equality, fostering tolerance and countering terrorism and extremism, building resiliency to climate change, prioritizing humanitarian relief and sustaining peace, tackling global health crises, and harnessing the potential of innovation.
