In November 2025 President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed declared 2026 the Year of the Family, formally elevating family protection — including digital safety of women, children, and vulnerable family members — as a national operational priority. The declaration was made during the Presidential Court session on the National Family Growth Agenda 2031.
Operational implications
Annual designations in the UAE typically translate into procurement and policy programming during the year in question. The Year of the Family designation establishes family protection as a current operational priority — not a future-state policy commitment — and creates the political headroom for procurement of protection technology that supports the policy.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office has stood up a dedicated Year of the Family channel for ongoing programming, signalling that the designation is being run as a coordinated operational programme rather than a symbolic gesture.