The value of Dubai’s endowments reached AED 8.8 billion in 2022, with 493 endowers and a total of 839 endowments.

Hamdan bin Mohammed: The UAE’s commitment to endowments showcases the ability of the Emirati community to serve as a leading model of sustainable humanitarianism.

“Dubai’s commitment to expanding endowment funding is driven by the leadership’s vision to encourage participation from individuals and institutions in various sectors.”

The strategy aims to spread the culture of endowments and highlight their societal role while reinforcing Dubai’s role as a global leader in philanthropy and humanitarianism.

The strategy provides a roadmap for building a sustainable endowment sector that adopts innovative solutions.

Awqaf Dubai will oversee the implementation of the Strategy, which aims to expand the positive social impact Dubai has on communities worldwide.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, chaired the council meeting today where he approved the Dubai Endowments Strategy. The meeting was attended by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed noted that the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to innovate, diversify, and sustain Dubai’s endowment initiatives are fundamental to the emirate’s humanitarian aid projects and to encourage individuals and institutions to contribute to charitable activities.

His Highness said: "Dubai and the UAE remain at the forefront of sustainable endowments, reinforcing their contribution to humanitarian aid worldwide. The country’s commitment to endowments showcases the ability of the Emirati community to serve as a leading global model of sustainable humanitarianism.

“The values of quality, sustainability, innovation, and agility that underpin endowment projects in Dubai are inspired by the vision of Mohammed bin Rashid. These values are reflected in the recent 1 Billion Meal Endowment initiative launched by His Highness this Ramadan, representing the largest endowment fund for providing sustainable meals to millions of families worldwide.”

His Highness added: “Dubai’s commitment to expanding innovative endowment funding is driven by the leadership’s vision to encourage participation from individuals and institutions in various sectors, including education, healthcare, scientific research, community development, and philanthropic endeavours.”

The value of Dubai’s endowments reached AED 8.8 billion in 2022, with 493 endowers and a total of 839 endowments. The implementation of the Dubai Endowments Strategy will be overseen by the Dubai Endowments Foundation and Management of Minors’ Funds (Awqaf Dubai), to expand the positive social impact Dubai has on communities worldwide.

The Dubai Endowments Strategy aims to maximise financial stability and increase service endowments, promote a safe, sustainable, innovative and attractive environment for endowments, spread the culture of endowments and highlight their societal role, enhance the efficiency of the institution, and establish it as a regional benchmark. Additionally, the strategy seeks to build a pioneering digital infrastructure to support these goals.

The strategy has identified strategic opportunities to encourage individuals and institutions to engage with innovative initiatives in several sectors, including Islamic affairs to meet the needs of mosques in Dubai, social affairs to increase the endowments’ contribution to financing projects and social programmes, education to improve the resources allocated to the education sector and promote scientific research, philanthropic endeavours to achieve a sustainable environment in Dubai, and healthcare by increasing financing to support hospitals, medical centres and health research institutes.

In recent years, Dubai has launched several endowment initiatives to support local and other communities, including the Bonyan Al Khair initiative, which aims to raise AED35 million to construct 22 charitable buildings for the benefit of unfortunate families, the Al Tadawi Medical Endowment Fund, which provides comprehensive health services, the Bridges for Goodness campaign to support earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria, and the Well of Water initiative, which contributes to Dubai's global water aid efforts.

Fertility Study

The Executive Council also approved a study during the meeting that explores the family aspirations of Emiratis. The study revealed that many Emirati couples in Dubai plan to start families. The majority of married Emirati women in Dubai have more than three children while about 25% have more than six children, according to the study.

The study provided recommendations to encourage childbirth, including increasing community awareness about marriage and providing incentives for marriage, educating couples and providing support services and consultations for parents, and awareness campaigns to promote family stability. Additionally, it recommended expanding the services of the Dubai Fertility Centre and establishing more nurseries in government workplaces to support working parents.

Sixth cycle of the Council includes a group of talented young individuals from Dubai who will work collaboratively to support the emirate’s growth plans

Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi: Emirati youth are the driving force behind the country’s march of progress

“Through the Youth Councils, we aim to create a dynamic platform to enhance the capabilities of young people and enable them to contribute to achieving the UAE’s aspirations and strategic objectives,” says the Minister of Culture and Youth

Abdulla Al Basti: Mohammed bin Rashid places the highest importance on strong partnerships with the youth, since they are vital for governments to be successful

The Executive Council of Dubai, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Youth, has announced the formation of the new Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025.

The sixth cycle of the Council includes a group of talented young individuals from Dubai who will work collaboratively to support the emirate’s growth plans. The formation of the Council ensures that youth are represented in the decision-making process, and empowered to solve challenges and shape a prosperous future.

The Executive Council expressed its confidence in the ability of the new Council’s members to create opportunities and develop innovative solutions that will help the country realise its goals in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council.

His Excellency Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said: “Emirati youth are the driving force behind the country’s march of progress. The UAE’s younger generation has the capabilities necessary to achieve great things for the nation. They possess the knowledge and expertise to support the development of the UAE.”

He further said: “Through the Youth Councils, we aim to create a dynamic platform to enhance the capabilities of young people and enable them to contribute to achieving the UAE’s aspirations and strategic objectives. The formation of the sixth Dubai Youth Council brings together a group of remarkable youth who represent the future of the nation. In line with the leadership's vision to create an engaged generation of youth who are aware of their vital role in achieving the country’s goals and aspirations, we are positive that the members of the new Council will harness their talent to launch initiatives and programmes that will help shape a bright new future.”

His Excellency Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai, congratulated the new members of the Council, stating that the nomination, evaluation, and selection process for the Council clearly marked them out as exceptional young individuals. He said: “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum places the highest importance on strong partnerships with the youth, since they are vital for governments to be successful. Such partnerships enable the youth to participate in accelerating socio-economic growth and achieving the country’s strategic goals.”

“The new members are all set to begin their mission to play an instrumental role in the development and growth of Dubai,” His Excellency added.  

The members of the Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025 include Abdulla Majid Al Hathboor Al Rumaithi, Afra Sultan Al Suwaidi, Rashid Mohammed Al Zarooni, Hasan Khalid Sabt, Hind Ibrahim Mohammed Al Hammadi, Salem Saqr Majid Saqr Al Marri, and Hind Saeed Mohammed Matar Al Ketbi.

Hamdan bin Mohammed: We have learnt invaluable lessons from Mohammed bin Rashid that proactiveness in future governments starts with actively listening to customers and society.

“Dubai’s model for future governments relies on a strong connection between leadership and customers, whom it views as partners in designing, implementing, and evaluating the services.”

The “04 Platform” is an innovative customer interface developed by the Dubai Model Centre and Dubai Digital Authority in collaboration with 40+ government entities and others.

The platform places customers at the heart of developing government services and provides them with a platform to voice their opinions, offer suggestions and raise complaints.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council, launched “04,” a platform connecting Dubai Government and its customers with a view to encouraging them to contribute to enhancing Dubai’s government services. The platform enables customers to submit suggestions, comments and complaints in three steps via an omnichannel experience. 

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said: “We have learned invaluable lessons from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that being proactive is the key to the government of the future. To become a proactive government, we must actively listen to the people and make informed decisions based on their input.

His Highness said that the “04 Platform” aims to bridge the gap between the government and its customers. HH said: “Dubai’s model for future governments relies on a strong connection between the leadership and customers, whom it views as strategic partners in designing, implementing, and evaluating the services.” The platform will allow officials and stakeholders to directly receive and respond to customers’ opinions, suggestions, and ideas and any challenges they may face.

His Highness added: “We have great confidence in the government work team, and I urge everyone to consistently engage with customers to meet their aspirations and exceed their expectations. Our ultimate goal is to promote the happiness of society and reinforce Dubai’s position as a world leader in government. We must have the courage to implement necessary changes in our relentless pursuit of excellence, paving the way for a better tomorrow.”

“04 Platform”

The launch of “04 Platform” aligns with Dubai’s ‘360 Services’ policy, which places customers at the heart of the process of developing government services and provides them with a unified platform to voice their opinions, offer suggestions and raise any challenges or complaints.

Developed by the Dubai Model Centre of the General Secretariat of The Executive Council and the Dubai Digital Authority, with the participation of more than 40 government entities and others, the “04 Platform” represents an innovative customer interface for all citizens, residents, and even visitors.

The platform aims to elevate customer satisfaction and happiness to new heights by providing a seamless experience for users. Customers can submit their feedback in just three simple steps: visiting the website (04.gov.ae), selecting the feedback category, and receiving a reference number for tracking and follow-up on their enquiries. The system also supports submission via WhatsApp for Business, where users can add 600500055 as a contact and message directly to provide their feedback.