Launched in 2023, the National Policy for Empowerment of Emirati Women - 2031 aims to facilitate equitable and comprehensive participation of women in all sectors and enhance the quality of life in the society. It seeks to establish a framework with references and guidance, for decision-makers in the federal and local government entities, the private sector and the civil society to promote the efforts of women's empowerment and leadership in the UAE.

The policy includes three key directives. They are:

1. Establishing cohesive and supportive families to enhance the role of women in society. This directive encompasses eight sub-directives as follows:
   1. developing programmes aimed at enhancing family cohesion and supporting women’s role in the family
   2. ensuring the availability and accessibility of community support networks for women to address life’s challenges and requirements effectively
   3. providing reliable, secure and user-friendly services that cater to the essential needs of women and their families, while respecting their privacy
   4. supporting parents of people of determination by designing appropriate educational curricula and experiences that uphold their roles and responsibilities
   5. promoting women's mental wellbeing amidst societal changes, facilitating their access to psychological treatment, counselling and rehabilitation services
   6. ensuring the continuity, development and provision of preventive and curative health programmes tailored to the needs of women
   7. developing public and private sports facilities that align with women's sporting interests and ensuring their utilisation in a manner that respects their needs and privacy
   8. establishing centres for abused women and children, and expanding the range of services offered by the existing centres.

    

2. Facilitating the integration of women in the labour market and emerging sectors. This directive encompasses four sub-directives as follows:
   1. enhancing job opportunities through adaptable work systems that accommodate the diverse roles of women
   2. developing and implementing systems, standards and practices that define an optimal work environment for women
   3. providing support for women to establish innovative projects within emerging sectors, ensuring the sustainability of these initiatives in light of the unique challenges they may encounter
   4. building a societal culture that believes in women's capabilities, supports and enables them to play their political and economic role.

      3.  Developing capacities and enhancing future skills of women. This directive encompasses four sub-directives as follows:

1. developing entrepreneurship skills for girls, homemakers and female workers
2. providing continuing education, future skills, and vocational and technical training to women
3. encouraging and supporting the development of qualifications and academic programmes for trade and digital technologies targeting women
4. developing and providing programmes for various life skills supporting women and enhancing their quality of life.

Enablers of the policy

The enablers of the policy include two primary directives. They are:

1. Developing a legislative and regulatory environment that supports and enables women's quality of life. This directive encompasses three sub-directives as follows:
   1. designing proactive laws, legislations and regulations, as well as enhancing existing ones, in anticipation of potential scenarios related to discrimination against women
   2. ensuring the enforcement of dedicated laws and regulations aimed at safeguarding women from violence, assault and discrimination within the workplace and the family
   3. developing federal and local laws, as well as legislations and regulations that supportwomen's access to social benefits.

    

2. Strengthening institutional work and partnerships at the national and international levels. This directive encompasses five sub-directives as follows:

1. ensuring the availability of national gender-disaggregated data and sharing it with relevant authorities to support decision-making
2. supporting the establishment of an integrated statistical framework for women and conducting studies to inform public policies and programmes
3. strengthening and cultivating relationships and partnerships with regional organisations focused on women's empowerment and gender balance
4. promoting the adoption of a participatory approach when collaborating with the private sector and civil society to advance the UAE’s women-supportive agenda
5. fostering role complementarity within the public sector entities responsible for women's affairs and governance.

General Women's Union will hold periodic meetings with the concerned institutions to follow up and evaluate the progress made in implementing the plans and propose amendments, if necessary, to ensure the achievement of the desired goals.