UAE Celebrates 54th National Day; Oman–UAE Ties Continue to Strengthen

Abu Dhabi:  The United Arab Emirates will celebrate its 54th National Day tomorrow, marking continued progress across political, economic, humanitarian, and development fields under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE.

The deep-rooted historical relations between the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE have continued to expand across various areas of cooperation, reflecting the bonds of brotherhood and good neighbourliness that unite the two countries and support their shared interests, aspirations, and prosperity.

The year 2025 witnessed an active and influential Emirati foreign policy, with the UAE playing a pivotal role in promoting regional and international stability. Emirati diplomacy intensified efforts to stop the war on Gaza, condemned the civil conflict in Sudan, and supported a civilian-led political process to end it. The UAE also intervened to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan, help halt escalation between Israel and Iran, and shape global opinion rejecting Israeli aggression against the State of Qatar.

The UAE continued to serve as a platform for dialogue, facilitating talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, while its mediation between Russia and Ukraine progressed through 17 rounds, resulting in the exchange of 4,641 prisoners.

Global engagement remained strong, with the UAE receiving numerous world leaders and participating prominently in major international forums, including the G20, BRICS 2025, and COP30.

Economically, the UAE maintained one of the world’s fastest growth rates, with the International Monetary Fund forecasting a 4.8% expansion. Non-oil foreign trade reached AED 1.7 trillion during the first half of the year, marking a 24.5% increase. The country approved its largest-ever federal budget for 2026 at AED 92.4 billion and launched the National Investment Strategy 2031. Tourism contributed AED 257.3 billion to the GDP, accounting for 13%.

The UAE advanced modernization of its legislative system through the issuance of several new laws and decrees, including the establishment of the National Anti-Narcotics Authority, the Federal Authority for Ambulance and Civil Defence, and a new Personal Status Law, along with the adoption of an artificial intelligence–based smart legislative framework.

The year 2025 also saw the implementation of long-term strategies in cybersecurity, talent attraction, zero bureaucracy, national volunteering, and the National Family Growth Agenda 2031.

In the humanitarian field, the UAE continued to rank among the world’s leading donors. Since the start of the Gaza crisis, it has delivered more than 100,000 tonnes of aid and evacuated 3,000 wounded persons. It allocated AED 3 billion to Sudan over two years, maintained support for stability in Yemen, and extended humanitarian assistance to numerous countries affected by crises.

The UAE achieved advanced positions in global competitiveness indicators. It ranked among the top five countries in the 2025 Annual Competitiveness Report issued by the World Competitiveness Center, topped the world for the fourth consecutive year in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, and placed tenth globally in the 2025 Soft Power Index.

Environmental initiatives continued with major breakthroughs, including the first deep-sea marine exploration mission, expansion of nature reserves in Abu Dhabi to 20% of the emirate’s area, and the launch of solar, hydrogen, and wind energy projects inside and outside the UAE.

The UAE also made major strides in artificial intelligence and the digital economy, with AI usage reaching 97% and the number of programmers exceeding 450,000. The year 2025 saw the launch of the 5-gigawatt UAE–US Artificial Intelligence Complex, a cooperation framework with France, and a USD 1 billion global initiative supporting AI projects in Africa.

Infrastructure and urban development projects continued, including the Abu Dhabi–Dubai high-speed railway, a national road network valued at AED 170 billion, major water, energy, and transport projects, and large-scale housing developments across the Emirates.