Abu Dhabi, December 1 / WAM / The United Arab Emirates celebrates its 54th Union Day, continuing to cement its position as a leading nation in various fields, achieving a wide range of political, economic, humanitarian, and developmental accomplishments.

The UAE continued its active foreign policy and pivotal role in global stability, with 2025 witnessing intensive UAE diplomacy on the international stage to halt the war on Gaza, condemn the civil war in Sudan and seek its cessation by supporting a civilian-led political process. It also intervened to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, to stop the escalation between Israel and Iran, and contributed to shaping a global opinion rejecting the Israeli aggression on Qatar.

The UAE served as a platform for dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and continued its mediation between Russia and Ukraine through 17 rounds, during which 4,641 prisoners were exchanged.

The UAE was a key station for a large number of world leaders who visited the country. In parallel, the UAE had a prominent presence at major international summits such as the G20, BRICS 2025, and COP30.

The UAE economy continued to advance, becoming one of the fastest-growing globally, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting a growth rate of 4.8%. Non-oil foreign trade during the first half of this year reached 1.7 trillion dirhams, a growth of 24.5%. The country also approved the largest federal budget in its history for 2026, worth 92.4 billion dirhams, and launched the National Investment Strategy 2031.

Banking assets exceeded 5.199 trillion dirhams at the end of last September, while credit rose to 2.478 trillion dirhams. The country also launched the 'UAE as a Global Hub for Trade' program to attract 1,000 international companies.

The tourism sector's contribution to GDP increased to 257.3 billion dirhams, a share of 13%. Hotel establishments received more than 16.1 million guests during the first half of 2025. A historic achievement was recorded with the election of Sheikha Nasser Al Nuaisi as Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

In the same context, the year witnessed the launch of major projects such as 'Al Tai Hills' in Sharjah, 'Disney Abu Dhabi', and 'Therm Dubai', along with prominent cultural initiatives like the opening of 'TeamLab Abu Dhabi', the Natural History Museum, and the Dubai Museum of Arts.

The UAE continued its legislative modernization path by issuing new decrees and laws, including the establishment of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, the Federal Authority for Ambulance and Civil Defense, a new Personal Status Law, in addition to adopting a smart legislative system based on artificial intelligence.

The year 2025 saw the launch of long-term strategies in areas such as cybersecurity, talent attraction, zero bureaucracy, the volunteering system, and the National Agenda for Family Growth 2031.

The UAE reaffirmed its global leadership in the humanitarian field, maintaining its position among the largest humanitarian aid donors with $1.46 billion. Since the onset of the crisis and up to last November, it provided aid worth over 9.4 billion dirhams to Gaza, including the transport of more than 100,000 tons of supplies and the evacuation of 3,000 injured. It also provided 3 billion dirhams to Sudan over two years, continued to support stability in Yemen, and extended a helping hand to dozens of countries affected by crises.

The UAE advanced to high ranks in global competitiveness, ranking among the top five in the 2025 annual competitiveness report issued by the Global Competitiveness Center. It ranked first globally for the fourth year in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, and ranked tenth globally in the Soft Power Index 2025.

The UAE led environmental protection efforts through pioneering projects such as the first marine exploration voyage of the ocean floor, with plans to expand nature reserves in Abu Dhabi to 20%, and launched solar power plants, hydrogen, and wind projects within and outside the country through national companies.

In 2025, the UAE achieved a revolution in artificial intelligence and the digital economy, with the usage rate of AI tools reaching 97% and the number of programmers exceeding 450,000.

2025 witnessed the inauguration of the UAE-American AI complex with a capacity of 5 gigawatts, the signing of a UAE-French cooperation framework, the launch of a global center of excellence for cybersecurity in partnership with Google, in addition to a $1 billion global initiative to support AI projects in Africa.

Infrastructure and urban development projects continued, such as the high-speed rail project between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, a national road plan worth 170 billion dirhams, and massive projects in transportation, water, and energy, in addition to major housing expansions in various regions.