Emirati Children's Day: President Sheikh Mohamed says youth 'at heart of UAE vision'

UAE leader pledges that Emirates will continue to invest in development of its youth

President Sheikh Mohamed has said children are key to the UAE's vision for the future. Photo: UAE Presidential Court

President Sheikh Mohamed marked Emirati Children's Day on Friday by emphasising the UAE's commitment to harnessing the potential of future generations.

Sheikh Mohamed said children were "at the heart of our vision for the future", in a message posted on social media.

The day was launched in 2018 by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, and is marked every year.

"The UAE believes in the importance of caring for children by continuing to invest in their development," Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X.

"On Emirati Children's Day, we reiterate our belief in the future of our children by nurturing and protecting them. Our children lie at the heart of our vision for the future."

Recognising milestone law

Emirati Children's Day is observed each year on March 15 because it was on that date in 2016 that the Emirates approved Federal Law No 3, widely known as Wadeema's Law. The key legislation was set out to secure the rights of children and protect them against all forms of abuse.

It was prompted by the tragic case of Wadeema, an eight-year-old Emirati girl whose death shocked a nation when her body was found buried in the Sharjah desert in 2012, after she had been tortured by her father and his partner.

Emirati Children's Day helps to recognise the strides made due to the 2016 law.

Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, who was appointed Minister of State for Youth in January, delivered an uplifting message to the country's children in honour of the occasion. Dr Al Neyadi, who returned to Earth in September after a historic six-month mission on the International Space Station. encouraged young people to pursue their dreams in a statement published in Arabic children's magazine Majid.