Sheikh Mohammed launches Dhs208b 'Dubai Social Agenda 33'

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Thursday launched the Dubai Social Agenda 33 for the decade until 2033 highlighting the theme of ‘Family: The Foundation of Our Nation.’

The launch of the Dubai Social Agenda 33 follows Sheikh Mohammed’s tradition of unveiling promising national programmes and projects on Jan.4 every year, which marks the anniversary of his accession as the Ruler of Dubai.

Sheikh Mohammed said: "As has become our custom to unveil promising national programmes and projects on the 4th of January of every year, today we announce the launch of the Dubai Social Agenda 33: our plan for the Dubai community over the next decade. Its theme is ‘Family: The Foundation of Our Nation’, and its budget is Dhs208 billion until 2033."

"Its target is our Emirati families in Dubai and all aspects of their lives, in terms of housing, quality of life, identity and values, social cohesion and healthcare, as well as equipping the new generation with future skills.

"We aim to double the number of Emirati families within a decade, provide residential neighbourhoods that offer the world’s highest standard of living and safeguard our young generation against negative ideas that threaten the stability of our families,” Sheikh Mohammed added.

"The Dubai Social Agenda outlines clear objectives and programmes based on the allocated budget, and will be overseen by my sons Hamdan, Maktoum, Ahmed and their brothers who grew up as part of the larger Dubai family and will care about its wellbeing more than anyone else.

"Our nation is not merely buildings and figures; it is made up of families and people. My message to everyone in charge is that our priority for the next stage is to protect, empower and support our families,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

"Today we launch the Dubai Social Agenda 33 with family at the centre: its formation and values, its protection and empowerment, its health and education. Because family is the foundation of the nation, and our vision is to create healthy stable families capable of nurturing a generation that believes in its abilities, is connected to its identity and ready for the future. 

"Our goal is for Dubai to be among the world’s top 3 cities in terms of living standards. We also aim to accelerate social development among Dubai families. We have issued directives to double government support aimed at implementing the Social Agenda to Dhs208 billion by 2033. We have also directed Hamdan Bin Mohammed and Maktoum Bin Mohammed to oversee the implementation of the Agenda,” Sheikh Mohammed added. 

The Dubai Social Agenda 33 complements the objectives of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33), with a focus on sustainable social development, and the provision of services that directly benefit individuals and meet their expectations in terms of healthcare, housing, education, culture, sports and community.

Innovative Programmes

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, stressed that focusing on UAE citizens and enhancing their wellbeing and family stability is a priority that reflects the vision of Sheikh Mohammed, who believes the UAE citizen comes first, second and third.

"The Dubai Social Agenda 33 is our roadmap towards achieving Dubai’s vision in terms of family happiness and cohesion, highest standards of housing, healthcare and an advanced education system that meets Dubai’s future aspirations for a tolerant community most connected to its national identity,” HH Sheikh Hamdan said.

Investing in People

Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, noted that objectives of the Dubai Social Agenda 33 and the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) complement each other to reflect the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for sustainable development and investing in people. 

Sheikh Maktoum also stressed that the budget earmarked for Dubai Social Agenda 33, amounting to Dhs208 billion by 2033, will contribute to breakthroughs in terms of social work and capacity building for every citizen.

"Balancing purposes and areas of focus, the Dubai Social Agenda covers all aspects of life in Dubai and addresses all citizen concerns now and in the future,” he added.

Driving Development

Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai emphasised that Dubai Social Agenda 33 reflects the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of dedicating every conceivable effort to provide the highest quality of life to Dubai citizens, who are at the heart of Dubai’s strategic planning.

"The ambitious purposes and objectives of Dubai Social Agenda 33 will reflect positively on Dubai’s comprehensive development, will contribute to creating the future that our citizens aspire to, and will bolster Dubai’s status as a the city of choice to live in and work globally,” he said.

Five Purposes

The Dubai Social Agenda 33 outlines five main purposes, the first of which focuses on fostering happy, cohesive and tolerant families that are well connected to local values and their national identity.

It also aims to empower Dubai citizens, enhance their productivity to promote self-sufficiency and financial independence, which eventually leads to improved family and social stability, while protecting and promoting Emirati identity and culture.

The second purpose addresses the building of the most efficient healthcare system by promoting healthy lifestyles (with a focus on physical activity, good nutrition and mental health), improving the quality of affordable healthcare, preventive and hybrid (physical and mental) health services.

The third purpose of the Dubai Social Agenda 33 is to create an education system that meets Dubai’s future aspirations and enhances its human capital through high-quality, affordable education via diverse platforms that equip students with future skills.

The fourth purpose of the Dubai Social Agenda focuses on creating a more active and proactive social system that provides protection and empowerment, ensures equal opportunities to all segments of the community and promotes social and humanitarian work as well as volunteering activities at individual and institutional levels.

A city offering the best living experience, residential services, cultural and sporting activities is the focus of Dubai Social Agenda’s fifth purpose.

To this end, it aims to develop suitable housing, promote competitive culture and arts, improve infrastructure and services that help discover sport talent and encourage community’s participation in sport.

It also aims to highlight the Emirati cultural, architectural and environmental legacies.

Vital Pillars

With government support worth Dhs208 billion - more than double the support allocated for the social agenda of the past decade - the Dubai Social Agenda 33 operates under two key pillars: healthcare and community development.

Government funding for the healthcare pillar has increased 1.8 times from Dhs66 million between 2014 and 2023 to Dhs120 billion for the next decade until 2033. This pillar aims to develop the healthcare sector to become among the best globally, capable of dealing with future challenges thanks to advanced infrastructure and qualified healthcare workers.

On the other hand, government funding for the community development pillar rose 3.4 times from Dhs26 billion for the past decade to Dhs88 billion for the next one until 2033. This pillar covers a wide range of sectors that aim to improve quality of life and ensure social wellbeing, including education, citizen support, social institutions, arts and culture, citizen housing and sports.

Dhs26 billion of this pillar’s funding is earmarked for citizen support, which aims to promote family stability and wellbeing.

Another Dhs21.9 billion is allocated to support social institutions in order to bolster social cohesion, raise awareness of national identity and promote citizens’ engagement in their community.

With ambitious housing plans, the Dubai Social Agenda 33 allocates Dhs14.5 billion for the development of integrated residential compounds for Emirati citizens, which contributes to building Dubai future neighborhoods.

Dhs13 billion will go towards supporting the development of a sustainable education system that nurtures talent and promotes entrepreneurship among students.

Arts and culture and the sport sector are other areas of focus under this pillar, receiving funding worth Dhs6.4 billion and Dhs6.2 billion respectively.

The focus on these areas aims to turn Dubai into a cultural hub that nurtures creativity and welcomes intellectuals and artists from around the world.

It also aims to establish Dubai on the global sports scene as it is already a favourite destination for hosting sporting events and training camps.

Ambitious Objectives

The Dubai Social Agenda 33 outlines six ambitious objectives for the next decade, key among which is turning Dubai into one of the world’s top 3 cities in terms of standard of living.

It also aims for a healthy life expectancy that ranks among the world’s top ten and for the quality of education in Dubai to be among the world’s top 10 cities.

The Dubai Social Agenda 33 aims to triple the number of Emiratis working in the private sector, provide a land plot and a loan for every new Emirati family within one year of application, and promote efforts to double the number of new Emirati families in Dubai by 2033.

WAM