Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, 'Mother of the UAE', Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, announced 'We will emerge stronger and better' as the slogan for UAE Women's Day 2026.
Her Highness said: 'My daughters and sons, the women and men of the United Arab Emirates, and all who share our love for and belonging to our cherished nation — on the 28th of August each year, we stand before a national occasion dear to our hearts, in which we recall a national journey precious to us all: a journey that began with faith, and grew and took root through clear vision, careful planning, determination, and hard work to achieve our ambitions and goals, in a manner befitting the unique character of our society and identity.'
She continued: 'On this day, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the General Women's Union in 1975, we do not celebrate the Emirati woman alone. We also take pride in the story of a nation that believed the combined efforts of its daughters and sons together are the driving force, the path and the road to continuing its comprehensive development journey across all sectors and fields.'
Her Highness added that the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace, taught us that building the individual is the foundation of building nations, and that women are an authentic partner in development and a source of strength for the family and society. Following this blessed path, and with the support of our wise leadership, the United Arab Emirates has moved forward with confidence until its experience of women's empowerment has become an inspiring model in the region and the world.
Her Highness said: 'My daughters and sons, UAE Women's Day this year comes under the slogan "We will emerge stronger and better" — a slogan that expresses the spirit of the UAE, a spirit that does not stop at achievement or rest content with what has been accomplished, but looks to tomorrow with ambition and responsibility, as the horizons of ambition extend with you and through you.'
She said the celebration this year would not be limited to a single day, but would open an extended national space from 28 August to 28 September 2026, to serve as an occasion for work, appreciation, the launching of initiatives, and the highlighting of examples that affirm that the woman in the UAE is not an individual success story, but part of a comprehensive national system.
She affirmed that the Emirati woman today stands in positions of knowledge, work, leadership, humanitarian service, diplomacy, and development, carrying with her the values of her home, the identity of her nation, the confidence of her leadership, and the support of her community.
Every achievement she realises is the fruit of an environment that believed in her, a family that embraced her dream, an institution that gave her the opportunity, and a man who believed that her success is a success for the nation — being for her the inspiring father, the supportive brother, the partner husband, and the pillar of support.
She affirmed that from this basis, they call upon national institutions to make institutional flexibility an advanced approach in supporting women — particularly working mothers and those who bear the responsibility of caring for senior citizens and people of determination — through proactive policies and programmes that take into account family responsibilities and work requirements, while ensuring continuity of performance and efficiency of production.
Her Highness said that because the goodness of the UAE, as the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may his soul rest in peace, accustomed us, does not stop at its geographic borders but extends to all nations and communities, cross-border partnerships represent an extension of UAE values and an affirmation that women's empowerment is, for the United Arab Emirates, a humanitarian and global development mission.
For her part, Noura Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Secretary-General of the General Women's Union, affirmed that the union draws inspiration from the guidance of the leader of the Emirati women's journey, Her Highness the 'Mother of the UAE', whose far-sighted vision has entrenched the Emirati woman's status as an 'authentic partner' in the journey of comprehensive development. She said the union follows a continually renewed path and moves forward as a leading platform, in cooperation with all its partners, to translate this vision into tangible reality.