Strategic Overview
The National Reading Strategy was launched in 2016, following the designation of that year as the UAE Year of Reading by Presidential decree. The strategy is a ten-year framework designed to increase reading engagement across all segments of UAE society — from early childhood through adulthood, across both Emirati citizens and the broader resident population. It operates on the premise that a knowledge-based economy requires a population that reads consistently and critically, and that reading habits are a foundational input to human capital development.
The strategy was accompanied by the National Reading Law (Federal Law No. 15 of 2016), which made the UAE the first country in the region to legislate a national reading framework. The law mandates government entities, educational institutions, and community organisations to allocate resources and programming toward reading promotion. It also established requirements for workplace reading hours and library development across the federation.
Targets and Implementation Pillars
The strategy is built around several core pillars: early childhood literacy, school-based reading programmes, community and family engagement, Arabic-language content development, and digital reading platforms. Each pillar has dedicated institutional owners and implementation partners. The Ministry of Education integrates reading targets into the national curriculum. Public libraries have been expanded and modernised, with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library in Dubai opening as a flagship institution with a capacity of over one million titles.
Reading challenges — most prominently the Arab Reading Challenge launched by Dubai — have mobilised millions of students across the Arab world and created competitive incentive structures around reading engagement. The Arab Reading Challenge, while technically a separate initiative, functions as a key delivery mechanism for the strategy’s youth engagement targets.
Content Development and Arabic Publishing
A critical component of the strategy addresses the supply side of reading — the availability and quality of Arabic-language content. The UAE has invested in publishing infrastructure, translation programmes, and author development initiatives to expand the volume of Arabic books produced annually. The Sharjah International Book Fair, one of the world’s largest, serves as a commercial platform supporting these objectives. Translation grants and partnerships with international publishers aim to make global knowledge accessible to Arabic readers.
The strategy also accounts for the shift toward digital reading. E-book platforms, audiobook services, and reading apps have been integrated into the implementation framework, recognising that younger demographics increasingly consume content through screens rather than print. Balancing digital engagement with deep reading comprehension remains an ongoing challenge.
Policy Intersections
The National Reading Strategy connects to the UAE’s broader human capital agenda. It feeds into educational quality targets under the We the UAE 2031 framework, where knowledge production and intellectual capacity are explicit national priorities. It supports the National Strategy for Advanced Sciences by building the foundational literacy required for scientific engagement. And it aligns with cultural identity objectives, reinforcing the Arabic language as a vehicle for knowledge and creative expression.
The strategy’s success is measured not only in volumes read but in attitudinal and behavioural shifts — whether reading becomes embedded as a social norm rather than an institutional obligation. Early indicators suggest progress, with library membership and book fair attendance showing sustained growth, though measuring deep reading habits at the population level remains methodologically challenging.