From / Reports Section ..

Abu Dhabi, July 17 / WAM / On the first anniversary of the revival of 'Covenant of the Union' Day, which falls on July 18, the United Arab Emirates recalls the timeless historical moments that paved the way for the realization of the union dream, which had long been cherished by the founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul) and his fellow rulers of the emirates, culminating in the historic meeting of 1971, which witnessed the signing of the union document and the state constitution.

This day, etched in the national memory, embodies a new phase in the history of the nation, during which the Union Declaration and the official name of the United Arab Emirates were announced, marking a key step in the blessed journey to establish the Union State on December 2, 1971, following diligent and sincere efforts, continuous discussions and meetings that formed the epic of building the union.

The adoption of this day as a national occasion came under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State (may God protect him), to be a station for renewing the covenant and belonging to the nation, continuing the comprehensive development march, and emphasizing the importance of this historic day that instills national awareness in all members of society regarding the pivotal steps that led to the founding of a state that not only achieved national construction and development but was driven by ambition to lead the regional and international scene after acquiring a competitive edge ensuring its leadership and distinction with strength and capability.

These national occasions strengthen the values of loyalty, belonging, and national identity, and revive the beginnings of the inspiring federal journey. We pause before them with all reverence and appreciation for the sacrifices and wise visions of the founders (may God have mercy on them). As His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State (may God protect him), said in his first official address upon assuming the presidency: 'Today, as we see our nation among the countries of the world as Zayed and the founders wanted it (may God have mercy on them all) ... with a high status, a strong and developed state ... we thank God for these blessings ... and we will continue, God willing, on their path, wisdom, and vision ... drawing lessons and morals from them in leadership and determination ... and our history, identity, and cultural heritage will remain an essential part of our plans for the future.'

This occasion represents an opportunity to celebrate the national achievements written by the founding fathers, highlighting their commitment to unifying the common destiny amid unstable regional conditions and highly complex geopolitical transformations, which did not hinder the founding of a state whose compass was the building of the Emirati human being, who has always been and remains the focus of the wise leadership, which draws its insightful vision from the founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may God rest his soul), who devoted himself to the prosperity of his homeland and the happiness of his people.

The founding father led the country to safety and stability after successfully establishing the first Arab federal experience, launched the phase of founding and construction, managed to initiate the largest development operations the region had witnessed, laid the foundation stone of the state, and presented a modern model to be emulated. The UAE attained a prestigious position regionally and internationally, then began the empowerment phase (2004-2022) led by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan (may God have mercy on him) after he took the banner with all trust and capability, completed the building of the modern state, and began enhancing citizens' participation in development and preparing them for leadership, making education a top national priority, with an increasing number of national and private universities and technical and technological institutes.

Under the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, all service, economic, development, humanitarian, and infrastructure sectors achieved qualitative leaps reflecting unprecedented momentum, in addition to launching massive projects in renewable energy and sustainability. The state also became the second largest economy in the Arab world and the first Arab and Islamic country to reach Mars.

The forward-looking vision of the late Sheikh Khalifa was embodied in adopting national strategies, including the Principles of the 50, UAE Vision 2021, the UAE Government Services Strategy 2021-2025, in addition to the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence, the National Space Strategy 2030, the Net Zero by 2050 initiative, the Future Foresight platform, and the Energy Strategy 2050.

The pace of achievements has accelerated successively from 2022 to the present day under the reign of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State (may God protect him), in many economic, political, social, and developmental fields across all emirates of the state, in addition to the UAE's attainment of top positions in regional and international competitiveness reports.

Under his leadership, sustainable development plans began to achieve their goals by transitioning from reliance on oil to a diversified economy focusing on non-oil sectors such as tourism, trade, financial services, industry, real estate, telecommunications, and technology. The economy experienced increasing GDP growth, driven by government investments in infrastructure and economic diversification, along with a notable increase in attracting foreign investment, giving positive economic growth expectations, with real GDP rising by 4.4% in 2025, according to the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates.

The latest non-oil foreign trade data for the first quarter of this year showed a record of 835 billion dirhams, while UAE exports achieved unprecedented historical growth rates, reaching 177.3 billion dirhams during the first three months of this year.

Over the past five decades, the UAE economy has made tremendous leaps in many qualitative sectors, with the UAE's GDP jumping from 58.3 billion dirhams in 1975 to 1.7 trillion dirhams in 2024, while the state's foreign trade volume grew from 11.5 billion dirhams in 1975 to 5.23 trillion dirhams in 2024.

The announcement by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State (may God protect him), designating 2025 as the 'Year of Community' embodies the wise leadership's vision to strengthen bonds within families and Emirati society through developing intergenerational relationships, creating inclusive spaces that consolidate values of cooperation, belonging, and shared experiences, in addition to preserving cultural heritage. The wise leadership allocated 27.9 billion dirhams, representing 39% of the total general budget for the fiscal year 2025, to the social development sector, reflecting the extent of care and attention given to the community members and providing all means of a decent life for them.

The UAE, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State (may God protect him), dedicates itself to being a key player and important partner in the success of peace initiatives at the regional and international levels, stemming from its humanitarian legacy and civilizational mission based on promoting the values of love, tolerance, and rejecting extremism, emphasizing the enhancement of its peace message and delivering it to all parts of the world, and actively contributing with the international community to everything that achieves security, stability, and development, and enhances the values of coexistence and justice in various regions of the world.