President Sheikh Mohamed on Thursday marked the 60th anniversary of the accession of UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, as Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
The UAE leader said the historic milestone laid the foundations of the Union and marked the beginning of the country's collective journey.
Sheikh Zayed became Ruler of Abu Dhabi on August 6, 1966, a pivotal moment that helped transform Abu Dhabi from a quiet coastal region to a modern, thriving international city.
And in a statement on X, Sheikh Mohamed paid tribute to his father’s vision.
“Inspired by Sheikh Zayed’s leadership and vision, we will continue to advance his enduring belief that people must always be placed at the heart of efforts to build a sustainable and prosperous future for our nation,” he said.
A transformative leader
Before 1966, Sheikh Zayed spent 20 years as the Ruler’s Representative of the Eastern Region of Al Ain. Under his leadership, he overhauled local irrigation systems (falaj), established Al Ain’s first formal school and built its first hospital.
Upon his accession as Ruler of Abu Dhabi, he ushered in the formation of the UAE on December 2, 1971, and its subsequent modernisation and economic rise.
He insisted that oil revenue belonged to the public rather than the rulers, funnelling the profits into standardising housing, highways, water treatment plants and health care.
He built a grid of public schools, made education free for all citizens, and established United Arab Emirates University in 1976.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said Sheikh Zayed was more than just a leader.
Life has taught me that Zayed was not just a leader and a commander, but a great idea,” he wrote on X.
“There are great leaders who build nations and there are thinkers and reformers who build a human being," Sheikh Mohammed wrote.
"Zayed built a nation and built a human - and forged a deep relationship between the human and the homeland. And Zayed will remain immortal in the memory of the homeland and in the conscience of the human.”
Zayed for Good Foundation
Meanwhile, the Zayed for Good Foundation has marked its 34th anniversary, announcing a milestone of over Dh2 billion ($545 million) in cumulative aid distributed across more than 180 countries since 1992.
The foundation is celebrating three decades of humanitarian and development achievements inspired by the vision of Sheikh Zayed and comes at a defining moment as it shifts from traditional humanitarian practice to a longer-term sustainable development model, focusing on food security, economic empowerment, and the adoption of advanced technologies.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, chairman of the Zayed for Good Foundation and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said that the foundation's achievements over the past 34 years were the result of the unwavering support provided by the UAE's leadership to humanitarian work.
He stressed that the foundation continues to embody the late Sheikh Zayed’s vision that humanitarian work extends far beyond providing assistance and is about empowering people, strengthening their capabilities and creating opportunities for dignified and sustainable livelihoods.
Between 1992 and 2005, the foundation enacted more than 600 humanitarian and charitable projects with a combined value exceeding Dh606 million.
Its support extended to a wide range of humanitarian, health care and education initiatives in places such as Kenya, New Zealand, Mali, Chad and The Gambia. During this period, health care was one of the foundation's primary areas of focus.
Between 2005 and 2015, it completed projects such as the Sheikh Zayed Academy of Administrative Sciences in Burkina Faso, the construction of a power generation station in Tajikistan, and the establishment of community service centres across several locations in the UAE.
From 2015 to 2025, the foundation further expanded its international development portfolio by implementing more than 72 projects with a total value exceeding Dh196 million.
Alongside its international programmes, the foundation strengthened its community presence within the UAE, with initiatives such as the Ramadan Iftar Programme, the Winter Relief Programme and the Eid Clothing Initiative.
