The UAE government on Wednesday confirmed reduced working hours for the public sector during the month of Ramadan.
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources said staff at ministries and federal institutions would work from 9am until 2.30pm from Monday to Thursday and from 9am until noon on Fridays throughout the holy month.
Government departments will be permitted to adopt flexible working practices, on the basis that scheduled daily hours are completed.
Remote working can also be implemented on Fridays, as long as the proportion of staff working off-site does not exceed 70 per cent.
Ramadan will begin in the UAE and across the Arab world on February 18 or 19. The official date is determined by each nation's Moon-sighting committee. In the UAE, this committee is due to meet on the evening of February 17.
Ramadan 2025 - in pictures
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Palestinian Muslims pray at Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City before the first Friday noon prayer of Ramadan 2025. AFP -
Worshippers attend the first Friday prayers of holy month 2025 at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. AFP -
Muslim men gather for Friday prayers at Tanah Abang Textile Market in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reuters -
Vast numbers arrive for Friday prayers at Jama Masjid in the old quarter of New Delhi, India. Reuters -
Devotees perform the first Friday prayers of holy month 2025 in Peshawar, Pakistan. EPA -
A boy is distracted by a drone as Muslims offer prayers on the first Friday of Ramadan at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Reuters -
Friday prayers inside the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. Getty Images -
Muslim worshippers are cast in green light from Jamia Mosque's roof canopy, as they attend the first Friday prayers of the holy month in 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters -
Palestinians are determined to attend Friday prayers despite damage wrought by the Israeli army on Imam Shafi'i Mosque, in Gaza city. AP
The Emirates Astronomical Society said last week that February was the most likely start date for the holy month.
Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic calendar. It is said to be the month that the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. Muslims do not eat or drink from dawn until sunset, between the fajr and maghrib prayers, during Ramadan.
For Muslims, Ramadan is not only about abstaining from food. It is also a time when people strengthen their faith through Quran recitation and prayer.
