United Arab Emirates Year of themes from 2015 to 2023
2023 was declared the Year of Sustainability. It aims to inspire and change behaviors towards sustainable practices and collective action. It fosters public participation in three key areas: responsible consumption, encouraging conservation initiatives, and impending climate change.
2021 was declared the Year of the 50th by UAE President, the Late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The year celebrated 50 years of the founding of the country. During 2021, The Golden Jubilee Committee was responsible for creating year-long activities, long-term initiatives and celebrations, The year 2021 witnessed many initiatives, starting with its first nuclear power plant, the Barakah launch, announcing the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative in addition to introducing a new visa laws scheme and uniting 11 cities of the UAE through a railway project to starting a new Emirati interplanetary mission between Mars and Jupiter.
In the midst of the global pandemic's impact in 2020, the UAE announced that 2020 was the Year that propelled the nation Towards the Next 50. It focused on launching one of the largest national strategies for the next 50 years and preparing for the nation's Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2021.
2019 was declared the Year of Tolerance. It aimed to strengthen the values of coexistence and harmony aligned with the nation's goals in encouraging cohesion and openness. The year paved the way for a new outlook on inclusion for People of Determination and hosting The Special Olympics World Games 2019, the world’s largest humanitarian sporting event, in the same year, the UAE also witnessed a watershed moment in the history of the Arabian Peninsula, which was the first visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church.
2018 was declared the Year of Zayed, marking 100 years since the birth of the UAE's founding father — the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The year focused on promoting the life and legacy of the late leader and values.
2017 was declared the Year of Giving. It reinforced the culture of volunteerism, philanthropy and charity. It paved the way for the initiation of the UAE Food Bank in the same year, sending a message of love, tolerance and hope from the UAE leaders and its generous people to the region and the entire world.
2016 was declared as the “Year of Reading”. It aimed to cultivate a culture of reading in the country. In line with this, an integrated national literacy framework was created to produce a reading generation and establish the UAE as the world’s capital for culture, reading and knowledge content. As a part of the government’s initiative, March was announced to be the Month of Reading in the UAE every year starting from 2017. It is marked by a rich and diverse calendar of engaging activities and sustainable initiatives that motivate the community to read with the aim of transforming reading into a daily habit for everyone and equip with knowledge a future generation capable of driving the perpetual growth journey of the UAE.
2015 was declared the Year of Innovation. It aimed to encourage and enable private and public sectors to cultivate and collectively work towards transforming the country into a global leader in innovation. UAE Innovates, launched in the same year, is a nationwide celebration and one of the largest innovation festivals in the world. The initiative has become a yearly flagship event in the United Arab Emirates. UAE Innovates is a consolidated effort by the government, the private sector, and individuals to help create a widespread culture of innovation.
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