Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid chaired a landmark UAE Cabinet meeting that praised the Armed Forces and national unity, approved the National Space Strategy 2031, the UAE Integrative Medicine Strategy, 120 international agreements, and a range of major national strategies across health, nutrition, and food security.
DUBAI: In the middle of one of the most challenging periods the UAE has faced in its modern history, the Cabinet did not slow down. It accelerated.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired a Cabinet meeting attended by senior members of the UAE leadership, including Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The meeting opened with a heartfelt tribute to the country’s defenders and its people. The Cabinet praised the heroic defence spirit of the UAE Armed Forces, the strong national spirit demonstrated by both citizens and residents, and the outstanding sense of responsibility shown by all work teams across the country.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid captured the mood of the nation in his remarks. “Under the leadership of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, our institutions continue to operate with high efficiency, our Armed Forces with full professionalism, and our private sector is rising to the responsibility. We remain committed to what the President of the UAE has promised the world: that the UAE will safeguard its achievements and that we will emerge stronger.”
Beyond the tribute, the Cabinet delivered a full agenda of landmark decisions that signal the UAE is not just defending what it has built. It is building more.
The National Space Strategy 2031 was approved, charting an ambitious course for a sector already valued at over AED 44 billion and involving more than 170 national, scientific, and economic entities. The strategy aims to double space economy revenues, rank the UAE among the top 10 global space economies by 2031, double the number of national space companies, and double UAE-based space startups. “We have developed and launched 30 satellites, we have an Emirati astronauts programme, a scientific mission to Mars, and a new mission to Venus and the asteroid belt,” Sheikh Mohammed noted. “And we will continue to be among the top 10 countries globally in this field within the next five years.”
The Cabinet also approved the National Integrative Medicine Strategy, positioning the UAE as a global reference for a healthcare system that blends modern, traditional, and complementary medicine across seven pillars including governance, insurance coverage, research, and community awareness. The National Healthy Nutrition Strategy 2031 followed, focusing on healthier lifestyles, preventive nutrition, and measures including banning partially hydrogenated oils and regulating the marketing of unhealthy food to children.
In a significant governance move, the Emirates Genome Council was reconstituted under the chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, to advance national genomics, precision medicine, and preventive health programmes.
The Cabinet approved 120 international agreements and MoUs spanning energy, investment, economic, diplomatic, and humanitarian fields, including Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements with Nigeria, the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Gabon, and investment agreements with Canada, Palau, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago. “Our global partnerships continue to grow, our international presence expands every day, and our network of international relations, built over decades, remains strong,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
The meeting also reviewed impressive labour market figures, with the UAE recording 101.76 per cent workforce growth and 101.92 per cent growth in female participation between 2021 and 2025, alongside 99 per cent enrolment in the Wage Protection System and 83 per cent coverage under unemployment insurance.
The Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme delivered 759 housing approvals worth over AED 616 million in Q1 2026 alone, while the National Framework for Sustainable Fisheries highlighted the deployment of 19,458 artificial reefs, installation of 66,173 climate-resilient coral units, and the planting of more than 52 million mangrove trees by 2024.
Sheikh Mohammed closed with a message of enduring confidence. “The success of the UAE is built on constants that have not changed and will not change. Our foundations remain firm, our journey continues, and we will return stronger after these exceptional circumstances.”
