Abu Dhabi [UAE], December 3: The United Arab Emirates is celebrating its 54th Eid Al Etihad as it continues its steady journey towards a bright future, reinforced by a series of domestic and global achievements that distinguished 2025, the Year of Community, under its wise leadership.
The UAE strengthened its active presence on the international stage, consolidated its position as an influential economic power regionally and globally, and continued its distinctive contributions across various fields of humanitarian work.
Domestically, a number of high-quality achievements emerged, providing new momentum to the nation's sustainable development path.
The UAE reinforced its leading position in environmental sustainability through a range of local and international achievements. These included announcing a first-of-its-kind marine exploration voyage to conduct a comprehensive survey of seabed geology in the country's waters, and developing a geospatial data platform for agriculture and water resources.
In 2025, the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah announced the official inclusion of Khor Kalba Mangrove Centre in the Wetlands Link International (WLI) network, a specialised global network supporting environmental education centres focused on wetland conservation.
The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative launched the ''Al Miyah Challenge'' to accelerate the development and deployment of innovative water solutions. Al Miyah Challenge for Agriculture is the first in a series of competitions to be launched as part of the Initiative's Al Miyah Challenge programme.
The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) launched the ''Abu Dhabi Coral Garden'' initiative. The largest project of its kind in the Middle East, it is a significant step in protecting the marine environment and enhancing marine biodiversity in Abu Dhabi.
Sharjah launched "SANA," the first solar power plant in the emirate. This new facility covers a large area of 850,000 square meters and can produce 60 megawatts of energy.
The UAE also announced an increase in the area of nature reserves in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to 20% of the emirate's total area.
The The UAE broke ground on a project combining a 5.2 GW solar PV plant with a 19 GWh battery energy storage system in Abu Dhabi, making it the world's largest solar and battery storage project to provide 1 GW of clean, 24/7 baseload power. The project is a significant development for the UAE's clean energy transition and commitment to sustainability.
The UAE also continued expanding renewable energy projects across several continents through Masdar and other national companies, developing solar, wind, and hydrogen plants in multiple countries such as Saudi Arabia, Spain, Indonesia, Africa, Yemen, and Egypt-helping provide clean electricity to millions of people.
The UAE took rapid steps toward AI-driven transformation and the establishment of an advanced and sustainable digital ecosystem. The United Arab Emirates has taken another major step toward becoming one of the world's most advanced AI nations. The percentage of use of artificial intelligence tools reached 97%, and the number of programmers exceeded 450,000.
The usage rate of AI tools in the country reached 97%-the highest globally-while the number of programmers exceeded 450,000.
Abu Dhabi also witnessed the launch of the comprehensive UAE-US AI campus with a capacity of 5 gigawatts, the largest of its kind outside the United States.
The UAE-France Framework for Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence was launched to boost collaboration in AI development, including plans to build a 1GW AI Campus in France and develop advanced infrastructure like data centers and supercomputing facilities.
UAE-based MGX, in cooperation with BlackRock and Microsoft, also announced the joining of Nvidia and xAI to the "AI Infrastructure Partnership," aiming to invest in next-generation data centres and advanced energy solutions, with potential total investments reaching USD 100 billion.
In the same context, the UAE Cabinet has approved its support of Google Cloud's launch of its first Global Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Abu Dhabi - an initiative that underscores the UAE's commitment to advancing digital transformation and bolstering cybersecurity.
It will support over 20,300 specialised cybersecurity jobs and strengthen the national cybersecurity ecosystem.
At the G20 Summit, the UAE announced the launch of the AI for Development initiative, worth US$1 billion, to support and finance artificial intelligence projects in African countries.
The UAE was keen to update its legislative and regulatory framework by issuing several decrees, laws, and decisions.
The UAE announced four new visit visa categories: AI specialists, entertainment, events, and cruise tourism. In addition, the UAE launched the first smart legislative system based on artificial intelligence.
The UAE also announced the National Artificial Intelligence System, which will act as an advisory member of the UAE Cabinet, starting in January 2026.
The UAE also approved the national AI system as an advisory member of the Cabinet, the Ministerial Development Council, and the boards of directors of all federal entities and government companies, starting in January 2026.
The year 2025 was characterised by a strong momentum of national policies, strategies, and initiatives that anticipate the future and set proactive plans for various vital sectors. These included: the new phase of the UAE's National Strategy to Attract and Retain Talent 2031, the National Cybersecurity Strategy, the National Geospatial Information Policy, the second phase of the Zero Bureaucracy Programme, the Proactive Government Performance System, the National Policy for Economic Clusters, the Unified UAE Numbers platform, the National Agenda for Family Growth 2031, and the Emirati National Identity Strategy.
Source: Emirates News Agency
