As the UAE celebrates the 49th anniversary of the union of seven emirates, MoFAIC (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) has highlighted the nation's -remarkable achievements in the year 2020.

The occasion celebrates a profound reflection of the leadership's journey towards colossal achievements and events built on the foundation first laid by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his brothers who were fellow Founding Fathers.

Today, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is following their footsteps to lead the nation towards its journey to a prosperous future.

The UAE achieved various accomplishments in its journey in the year 2020 across several fields at national, regional and international levels. Continuing its pioneering national efforts, the UAE launched a peaceful nuclear power plant - the first of its kind in the region. At the same time, the UAE entered the global race of space exploration this year with the launch of the first Arab and Islamic probe to Mars named "Hope Probe". With this launch, the UAE became a part of the nine countries which are carrying out efforts to explore this planet.

Launched on July 20, 2020, the probe is expected to reach Mars by the year 2021. Significantly, it will mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates.

2020: The year of designing the UAE's future and preparing for the next 50 years

As announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, 2020 will be the year of preparations for the next 50 years.

The proclamation marks the drafting of the largest national strategy by the leadership to prepare for the next 50 years at both federal and local levels. At the same time, it also indicates the planning for marking the UAE Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2021. On the occasion, government and private sector entities, citizens and residents, will come together and participate in mapping of life in the UAE in the next 50 years.

With the establishment of the 50-year Development Plan Committee, task forces joined their efforts to fulfil the legacy of the Founding Fathers and achievements of the nation over the past 50 years.

Recently, the UAE ranked first globally in 121 indicators and emerged on top among Arab countries in 479 indicators as well as among the top five worldwide in 189 indicators. Starting from the UAE’s Golden Jubilee in 2021 until the UAE’s Centennial in 2071, the leadership is currently working on developing a comprehensive development plan for the next 50 years.

UAE’s Initiatives to spread peace

Noting that Arab people have been keen on a stable, functioning and prosperous region, the time has come to mobilise new approaches to guide a better and state-of-the-art path for a progressive future of the region.

In line with these efforts, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on September 15 signed the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement between the UAE and Israel. The agreement hailed a new chapter in the relations between the two countries while promoting collaborative efforts to strengthen stability and security in the region.

Lauded as a historic achievement for the UAE, Israel and the US, the agreement will promote rapid and meaningful economic, security, and social benefits for people of the region. Significantly, the UAE and Israel have already progressed towards collaborating their efforts to expand and intensify research and treatment of Coronavirus in addition to working groups who are leading the path on a wide range of joint initiatives across key sectors such as tourism, medical, education, logistics, air links, cultural exchange, scientific research and telecommunications.

The UAE: a pioneer in humanitarian aid

Since its foundation in 1971, the UAE has provided unrestricted support and assistance to the economic growth of countries across the world and supplied essential social services to various communities in need in a bid to improve their quality of life.

Essentially, the key agenda of the UAE's foreign assistance has been to alleviate poverty, ensure peace and prosperity, and nurture mutually favourable economic relations by boosting trade ties with developing countries. In addition, UAE's foreign assistance has focused on catering to the needs of specific segments of society including women and children during natural disasters and in areas of conflict.

From saving lives to reducing suffering, the UAE has been providing humanitarian assistance to protect human dignity in crises. In this view, the nation's leadership has provided assistance to a wide range of humanitarian emergencies directly and through the multilateral system, Today, more than 40 UAE charities, foundations, government entities and private establishments are providing humanitarian assistance to those in need.

At the same time, the UAE is working on boosting its humanitarian relief efforts in the coming in a bid to help people in need both at home and across the world. In this view, the leadership is seeking to devote at least 15 percent of its total foreign aid to humanitarian purposes, making the UAE one of the most dedicated donors to humanitarian assistance.

According to the UAE leadership, some of the most crucial threats to human growth, such as climate change and global health, can be tackled with the help of international cooperation.

Significantly, the UAE has continued to be one of the world’s most generous donors relative to gross national income. It has provided assistance to more than 175 countries in this regard. Dubai-based International Humanitarian City serves as the largest logistics and supply hub of the UN. Furthermore, the UAE has emerged as a critical contributor to the World Health Organisation and World Food Programme in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, The UAE also worked towards mediating between conflicting parties, de-escalating global tensions, and developing inclusive political processes and security approaches aimed at promoting durable transitions out of conflict. For instances, the UAE and UN Women jointly launched the Women, Peace and Security Training Programme at the Khawla bint Al Azwar Military Academy for women from developing countries in a bid to train them to serve as peacekeepers.

At the same time, the UAE continues to fund a wide range of UN agencies and programmes such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, and OCHA with the aim of improving human living conditions in fragile countries and helping in peacebuilding.

UAE Bid for UN Security Council Membership

The United Arab Emirates has sought elected membership on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2022 – 2023 term with the aim of advancing inclusion, encouraging innovation, building resilience and securing peace.

The UAE seeks to be a constructive partner of the Security Council with the aim of addressing some of critical challenges the world is facing currently, such as countering terrorism and extremism, promoting gender equality, fostering tolerance and building resiliency to climate change. In addition, it also aims to harness capabilities in innovation for peace, tackling global health crises and pandemics and prioritise humanitarian relief and sustaining peace.

The UAE: a model of coexistence, tolerance and innovation

People from more than 200 nationalities are currently living in the UAE, calling it their home. The nation has expressed pride in hosting dozens of Christian churches, two Hindu temples, a Sikh temple, a Jewish synagogue, and a Buddhist monastery. In addition to this, the UAE will complete the Abrahamic Family House in 2022 in a bid to bring together the Christian, Jewish and Muslim houses of worship.

The UAE also serves as a global melting pot of commercial and creative activities, by bringing countries across the world together to clutch potential opportunities provided by areas of new technology, policies and financing approaches. Using the model of "future preparedness", the UAE estimates the prospects of future opportunities and risks in a bid to position the government to successfully tackle them. In this regard, the UAE helped UN Secretary-General António Guterres in launching the High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation.

Furthermore, Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in the UAE launched the first Arab interplanetary research expedition this year under the name "Hope Mars Mission" with the cooperation of dozens of countries across the world.

MoFAIC: Safeguarding the interests of Emirati citizens abroad amid COVID-19 pandemic

Amid the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic, the UAE continued to fulfil its pioneering humanitarian initiatives that serve as a manifestation of its mission to uphold the values of solidarity and synergy across the world to overcome the impact of the global health crisis.

In coordination with the National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation initiated the response plan against pandemic repercussions since the very beginning of the outbreak by initiating the repatriation of Emirati citizens from a number of affected countries.

In this view, the Ministry also urged Emiratis abroad to comply with all health and safety requirements and abide by preventive measures to prevent the spread of the virus. At the same time, the Ministry urged them to register in "Twajudi" and communicate with embassies in their country of residence or the ministry's call centre in case of any necessity. In line with these efforts, the Ministry successfully completed the mammoth task of 166 air and ground repatriations of 4,043 Emiratis and their companions from 61 countries.

In a solidarity gesture, the UAE also facilitated the repatriation of citizens from brotherly nations affected by the pandemic who were stranded in other countries and wanted to return to their home nation.

After the flights to and from the UAE were suspended, several residents abroad were left stranded. Therefore, in a bid to support all those affected by the restrictions, the UAE coordinated with other countries and carried out its humanitarian initiatives throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this regard, the UAE also delivered tons of medical aid and supplies to more than 120 countries in need. UAE's medical aid assisted more than 1.6 million medical workers across the world in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This aid delivery clearly demonstrated the capabilities and potential of the UAE's aid sector that enable it to reach more than one-third of the countries across the world despite challenges and difficulties post by pandemic restrictions, particularly in shipping and storage sectors.

Besides supplying medical aid, the UAE's aid sector also worked with the highest levels of leading international organisations and specialised bodies, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) to assist them in delivering medical and food supplies to a number countries in need, in boosting the capabilities of these organisations.

In this regard, Dubai’s International Humanitarian City (IHC) carried out over 132 shipments of medical and food aid to more than 100 countries as well as the distribution of over 80 percent of the total supply of personal protective equipment across the world.

Furthermore, the UAE expressed its commitment to assisting the UN World Food Programme in its endeavours to combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sheikh Abdullah wholeheartedly appreciated the establishment of the joint UAE-WFP air bridge aimed at ensuring the continuing of the supply chain for essential medical and humanitarian cargo and other services needed across Asia, Europe, Africa. It was carried out in line with an agreement to provide US$10 million worth of PCR COVID-19 testing kits.

Evidently, the UAE achieved success in delivering a series of crucial messages to the world in the global fight against the Coronavirus pandemic as well as demonstrating a clear reflection of the pillars on which the UAE was founded upon - principles of giving and serving all humanity.

Diplomacy: Between a New Reality and a Vision for the Future

Noting that the COVID-19 pandemic called for a need to adapt to a new reality across various sectors, a qualitative shift in current diplomacy and a review of future diplomacy became essential.

Latest models of online communication were adopted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in line with the framework of public and cultural diplomacy. In this regard, the Ministry hosted a wide range of ministers, government officials, state ambassadors, foreign ambassadors and specialists through a series of teleseminars during the Online Cultural Marathon Symposium that was broadcast various social media channels of the ministry. During the cultural marathon, weekly sessions were held on various topics such as 'Space Diplomacy', 'A Focused View of Latin America', 'Lessons in Cultural Diplomacy from Nigeria', 'UAE and Saudi Arabia, Cultural Unity and a Shared Destiny', 'UAE and Japan, Joint Efforts to Tackle Crises' and 'COVID-19: How the crisis helped foster a culture of solidarity.'

In addition, state embassies and missions in foreign countries also held online discussions on culture, including the virtual dialogue on the documentary series "The History of the UAE" which was hosted by the UAE Embassy in the United Kingdom.

At the same time, the Youth Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked in coordination with the Diplomatic Youth Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and held a youth workshop entitled "The Future of Diplomacy Post-COVID-19" on June 8, 2020, through video-telecommunication technology.

Hosted by Ma'adHareb Al Khaili, UAE Ambassador to Russia, and Sergei Kuznetsov, Russian Ambassador to the UAE, the seminar saw the participation of more than 110 members of the two councils and various young members affiliated with the foreign ministries of the two countries. During the seminar, young diplomats from both nations held discussions on ideas and view on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on future diplomatic work. They also emphasised the significance of young people's role in the future of diplomacy as well as the need for intensifying the use of virtual tools and modern technology in diplomacy as learned from the crisis.

The Post-COVID19 Government and new ministerial decisions

In the aftermath of COVID-19, the UAE government has taken several measures in a bid to stay prepared for the future as well as deal with the pandemic repercussions. In its plan, the UAE leadership has included a review of the structure and size of the government, a possibility of merging ministries and rearranging authorities, and fostering a more flexible and swift government in a bid to keep up with the changing priorities of the nation.

On July 5, 2020, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan gave his approval to a new structure for the federal government. After consulting Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also announced the new cabinet, pressing on the need to preserve all resources to achieve success and accelerate the process of development.

Reportedly, the new structure will include the closure of 50% of government services centres as they will have a transition to digital platforms within a period of two years. At the same time, around 50% of federal authorities will be merged with other authorities or ministries as well as new ministers of state and CEOs of specialised sectors will also be appointed. 

Expo 2020 Dubai

In the wake of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the UAE authorities decided to postpone Expo 2020 Dubai to ensure the health and safety of all participants amid such unprecedented times. Significantly, a number of participating countries have been affected by the pandemic repercussions. Therefore, they expressed a need for postponing the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai by one year in a bid to give them some time to recover from the difficult conditions. Supporting this proposal in the Steering Committee meeting, UAE decided to postpone the Expo in a spirit of solidarity and unity with participating nations.

Now, Expo 2020 will be held from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, such that participants have ample time to overcome the impact of COVID-19 repercussions. It will also allow the World Expo to focus on the common goal to design new thinking with the aim of finding solutions to overcome some of the most critical challenges.

Evidently, the Expo will emerge as the greatest show of human brilliance and accomplishment in the world, noting that it will be the first-ever World Expo to be hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region under the theme - "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future." With this World Expo, the UAE is aiming to inspire people by showcasing the best examples of innovation, cooperation and from several countries around the world. More than 200 participants, including countries, business, multilateral organisations, and educational institutions are expected to be a part of the Expo. So far, over 190 nations from across the world have confirmed their participation at Expo 2020.

A diversified economy to face future challenges

In the anticipation of future challenges facing the region and the world, the UAE has prioritised the adoption of economic diversification. Significantly, the country is actively working to diversify its economy, following which it has been able to achieve some notable success in development and expansion of various non-oil sectors, such as ICT, tourism, media, manufacturing, renewable energy, and commercial aviation.

The UAE considers sustainability as a basis of operations of key sectors such as the economy and industry, which go hand in hand. The UAE Government’s recent policy of diversification has stressed the need for developing non-oil sectors in a bid to foster a more robust economy.

Notably, oil formed 58.4 percent of the economy in 1975. However, in 2018, it decreased to 25.9 percent of the economy. As a percentage of GDP, oil is expected to make up 20 percent of the economy by 2025 indicating that there will be a major reduction and shift towards non-oil sector growth.

The government has already introduced legislation to stimulate growth of the creative sector and SMEs as well as enable creatives, innovators, and small enterprises to flourish. These initiatives are aimed at helping existing companies to grow while facilitating new ones to function in the UAE's industry.

The UAE government has also taken various social variable into consideration while formulating and adapting its policies across various areas with the aim of maintaining a balance between economic and social aspects. The UAE government is aiming to ensure that these policies study all possible impacts in the short and long run in a bid to ultimately achieve social stability across all sections of society.

The year 2021 and the winds of the future

The UAE is working to achieve its vision for this year by 2021 - golden jubilee of the union. Under this vision, the UAE is aiming to be among the best countries in the world in terms of economic and social development.

The National Agenda significantly includes a set of national indicators in key sectors of economy, health, education, security, infrastructure and government services. These indications are periodically reviewed by the UAE in a bid to ensure that these goals are achieved by the year 2021.

WAM