Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Thursday launched a Dh208 billion ($56.63 billion) social welfare budget over the next 10 years, with family and people at the center of the agenda and goal of turning the emirate into one of the world’s top 3 cities in terms of standard of living.to double the number of Emirati families in the emirate within a decade. Sheikh Mohammed set out plans to increase housing standards, health care and quality of life for citizens.
He said residential developments for Emiratis would be established to deliver “the best living conditions in the world”.
Dubai’s population is more than 3.65 million, driven by the emirate’s position as a leading destination for expatriates. Sheikh Mohammed wants to increase Dubai’s Emirati population as part of the Dubai Social Agenda 33.
“Today we announce the launch of Dubai Social Agenda 33. It is our plan for Dubai’s community for the next 10 years, with the slogan ‘Family, the Foundation of the Nation,'” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on X.
“Its budget is Dh208 billion over the next decade, aiming at the citizens of our families in Dubai – providing housing, improving living standards, identity, values, social cohesion, health care, and developing future skills in our upcoming generations.
“Our goal is to double the number of citizen families within the decade, providing them with the world’s best residential areas.”
Sheikh Mohammed said his sons would guide the project.
“The social agenda has clear targets, approved programs, allocated budgets, and will be followed by my sons Hamdan, Maktoum, Ahmed, and their siblings,” he said.
“They are the most dedicated individuals to Dubai’s large family, where they were raised and cherish it with bonds of love, affection and blood.
“The nation is not just numbers and structures; it is families and individuals. My message to all officials is that our priority in the coming period is the family protection, empowerment, development, and cohesion. We pray that God guides us in serving the country and its people.”
The goals of the Dubai Social Agenda 33 plan include establishing the world’s most efficient and high-quality healthcare system and developing an education sector capable of keeping pace with Dubai’s future ambitions to be among the top ten cities in the world for quality education.
The initiative also calls for a proactive social care system to be cultivated, focused on the protection, care and empowerment of citizens and for the number of Emiratis working in Dubai’s private sector companies to be tripled. The welfare project aims to ensure Dubai is one of the top three cities in the world for living standards and has a life expectancy among the top ten globally.
