We the UAE 2031: Complete Vision Overview

Introduction

We the UAE 2031 — subtitled “Towards New Peaks” — represents the most comprehensive national development blueprint in the history of the United Arab Emirates. Published by the Prime Minister’s Office at the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs in January 2023, the vision was launched under the leadership of UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the members of the Federal Supreme Council. The plan consolidates federal and emirate-level priorities into a single cohesive roadmap, establishing measurable targets across economic, social, diplomatic, and institutional dimensions.

As Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid stated at the launch: “Today we have launched the ‘We The UAE 2031’. It represents our government vision for the next decade as we start a national path towards new achievements under the leadership of my brother Mohamed bin Zayed.”

The vision’s formal title draws deliberate significance from the collective pronoun. Where previous national strategies emphasised institutional or sectoral goals, We the UAE 2031 foregrounds the role of the citizenry, residents, and broader stakeholder community in driving national outcomes. The plan was developed through an extensive consultation process involving more than 300 federal and local government entities, private sector representatives, and civil society organisations.

Origins and Announcement

The vision emerged from a series of government retreats held throughout 2022, culminating in the formal announcement during the UAE Government Annual Meetings in January 2023. President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed presented the framework as a direct extension of the founding principles laid down by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1971 and the modernisation agenda advanced by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his presidency from 2004 to 2022.

The timing of the announcement was significant. The UAE had recently concluded Expo 2020 Dubai, navigated the economic disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and signed the Abraham Accords, fundamentally reshaping its diplomatic positioning. The vision was designed to capitalise on this momentum while addressing structural challenges that prior strategies had identified but not fully resolved.

The Four Pillars

We the UAE 2031 is structured around four national priorities, officially designated as pillars. Each pillar is branded with the “Forward” naming convention, signalling progressive ambition across society, economy, diplomacy, and the enabling ecosystem. These pillars function as interconnected domains rather than isolated silos, with cross-cutting themes of innovation, sustainability, and inclusivity embedded throughout.

Forward Society establishes the framework for an integrated social system that empowers and unleashes the potential of Emiratis, protects cultural heritage, and instills national identity and human values. Its four focus areas cover social empowerment, national identity preservation, cutting-edge education for lifelong learners, and an innovative healthcare system.

Forward Economy targets the most dynamic and competitive economy, with highly competitive economic growth in partnership with the private sector, leadership in the energy sector, and positioning at the forefront of future industries. It also emphasises a competitive and productive human capital base and an advanced innovation environment.

Forward Diplomacy positions the UAE as a significant force in the global economy, a trusted bridge for international trade and partnerships, and a major contributor to humanitarian relief and peace efforts. It also establishes the UAE as a leading power in the global environmental sustainability agenda, with targets for quantum leaps in Net Zero.

Forward Ecosystem envisions the world’s smartest, most dynamic, and agile government, the most secure and safe country in the world, the best rule of law and human rights safeguards, and an integrated and technologically advanced infrastructure seamlessly connecting people, goods, and services.

Each pillar encompasses a set of strategic objectives, supported by specific national programmes, legislative reforms, and institutional mandates. The pillar structure enables coordinated resource allocation while allowing emirate-level entities to tailor implementation to local conditions.

Twelve National Key Performance Indicators

The vision is anchored by twelve national KPIs that serve as the primary accountability mechanism. These indicators were selected to capture both quantitative targets and qualitative outcomes across the four pillars.

These KPIs are reviewed on a semi-annual basis by the UAE Government Performance Council, with progress reports published through the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC). Each KPI is assigned to a lead federal entity responsible for data collection, target calibration, and corrective action planning.

Relationship to the UAE Centennial 2071

We the UAE 2031 functions as a medium-term waypoint within the longer arc of the UAE Centennial 2071 strategy, which was announced in 2017 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The Centennial 2071 established four broad pillars of its own: future-focused government, excellent education, a diversified knowledge economy, and a happy and cohesive society. While the Centennial provides a fifty-year aspirational horizon, We the UAE 2031 translates those aspirations into actionable eight-year targets.

The relationship between the two frameworks is sequential rather than hierarchical. The 2031 vision does not supersede the Centennial but operationalises its first phase. Subsequent visions for 2041, 2051, and 2061 are expected to follow a similar pattern, with each decade-length plan recalibrated against prevailing conditions and emerging priorities. This layered planning methodology is modelled in part on Singapore’s long-term development approach, adapted to the UAE’s federal governance structure.

Differentiation from Prior Strategies

The UAE has employed a series of national development strategies since the early 2000s. UAE Vision 2021, launched in 2010, focused on six national priorities including education, healthcare, economy, infrastructure, security, and justice. The National Innovation Strategy (2014), the Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy (2017), and the UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (2017) each addressed specific sectoral ambitions.

We the UAE 2031 differs from these predecessors in several important respects. First, it integrates federal and emirate-level planning into a single framework, reducing duplication and improving coordination. Second, it assigns explicit accountability for each KPI to named institutional owners, creating a clearer chain of responsibility. Third, it incorporates environmental sustainability as a co-equal pillar rather than a subordinate consideration. Fourth, it embeds a formal review and recalibration mechanism, allowing targets to be adjusted based on evolving global conditions.

The vision also reflects the geopolitical reorientation that the UAE has undertaken since 2020. Where earlier strategies were primarily inward-facing, We the UAE 2031 explicitly positions the nation as a global actor, with specific targets for diplomatic influence, multilateral engagement, and cultural soft power projection.

Governance Structure

The governance architecture of We the UAE 2031 operates across three tiers. At the apex sits the UAE Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which holds ultimate decision-making authority over strategic priorities and resource allocation. The Cabinet receives quarterly briefings on vision progress and approves annual implementation plans.

The second tier consists of the sectoral councils and committees that manage day-to-day execution. Key bodies include the Higher Committee for Government Transformation, the Economic Development Council, the Social Development Council, and the National Climate Change Committee. Each council is chaired by a Cabinet member or senior government official and includes representation from both federal and emirate-level entities.

The third tier comprises the individual federal entities and emirate-level authorities responsible for programme delivery. These entities report upward through their respective councils and are subject to annual performance audits conducted by the Government Performance Council. The performance management system employs a balanced scorecard methodology, evaluating entities across financial efficiency, service delivery quality, innovation adoption, and stakeholder satisfaction dimensions.

Implementation Framework

Implementation follows a phased approach structured around three-year rolling plans. The first phase (2023-2025) focused on institutional alignment, legislative reform, and foundational infrastructure investments. The second phase (2026-2028) emphasises scaling successful programmes, accelerating private sector engagement, and achieving mid-term KPI milestones. The third phase (2029-2031) is designated for consolidation, final target attainment, and transition planning for the subsequent national vision.

Each phase is supported by a dedicated budget allocation process administered through the Ministry of Finance. The vision’s total investment envelope has not been publicly disclosed, though individual programme budgets have been announced. The Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment, for example, committed AED 32 billion to housing programmes under Pillar 1, while the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure allocated AED 50 billion to clean energy projects under Pillar 4.

The implementation framework also incorporates a formal partnership model for private sector engagement. The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, updated in 2023, provides standardised contract structures, risk-sharing mechanisms, and performance incentive systems designed to attract institutional investors and multinational corporations to national priority projects.

Monitoring and Accountability

Transparency and accountability mechanisms are embedded throughout the vision’s governance structure. The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre publishes an annual National Agenda Dashboard, providing public access to KPI progress data. The UAE Government Performance Council conducts semi-annual reviews, with results presented to the Cabinet and, in summary form, to the Federal National Council.

The vision also introduced a citizen feedback mechanism through the UAE Government Services application, allowing residents to rate government service quality and submit improvement suggestions. This feedback loop is integrated into the performance management system, with entity-level satisfaction scores weighted alongside quantitative KPI achievement in annual evaluations.

Conclusion

We the UAE 2031 represents a maturation of the UAE’s approach to national strategic planning. By consolidating sectoral strategies into a unified framework, establishing measurable targets with institutional accountability, and embedding sustainability and global engagement as co-equal priorities, the vision provides a structured pathway for the federation’s continued transformation. Its success will be measured not only by the achievement of its twelve national KPIs but by the degree to which it strengthens the institutional capacity and adaptive resilience of the UAE’s governance system.