Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, said mothers carry an "enormous responsibility" to hold families together and support the UAE's efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic sweeping across the globe.
Sheikha Fatima, chairwoman of the General Women's Union and president of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said it was vital that mothers ensure their households adhere to precautionary measures being implemented across the country to limit infection rates from Covid-19.
The UAE has tested more than 127,000 people for the virus, temporarily closed schools, universities and entertainment venues and put in place travel restrictions as part of efforts to contain the disease.
As of Saturday, the UAE had recorded 140 positive tests for coronavirus, including two deaths.
Sheikha Fatima, referred to as the UAE's Mother of the Nation, said mothers are viewed as the "cornerstone of human society" by the country's leaders.
"God Almighty provides mothers with immeasurable fortitude, kindness and mercy that enable them to survive hardships, and raise their kids on a sound ethical basis," she said in an address to mark Mother's Day.
"And under the tough circumstances the world is going through due to the Covid-19 outbreak, an enormous responsibility rests on mothers to protect their families under such challenging circumstances and get them to comply with the precautionary and preventive measures taken by world governments to survive the impact of this pandemic."
Sheikh Fatima said Emirati women are being tasked with grooming the next generation and ensuring they are capable of spearheading the country's ambitious development drive for years to come.
Sheikha Fatima reaffirmed calls from UAE leaders to give particular care to the health needs of older members of the community and to limit their presence in crowded places.
Sheikha Fatima expressed her hope that mothers in all corners of the country can meet the lofty demands placed on them during difficult times both nationally and internationally.
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Syrian Red Crescent vehicles spraying disinfectant along a street in the capital Damascus. AFP -
A man prays outside of a closed mosque, as Friday prayers were suspended following the spread of the coronavirus, in Isa Town south Manama, Bahrain. Reuters -
A Lebanese medic takes the temperature of a suspected coronavirus case at Rafiq Hariri University Hospital in Beirut where coronavirus COVID-19 patients are being treated. AFP -
A military vehicle used to instruct people to return home, is seen in a street in Casblanca, Morocco. AFP -
Shoppers fill a local supermarket shortly after the announcement of a curfew in Amman, Jordan. EPA -
A member of a medical team sprays disinfectant as Iraqi Shiite pilgrims make their way to the tomb of Mousa al-Kadhim to mark his death anniversary in the Kadhimiyah district of Baghdad, Iraq. EPA -
An Iraqi cleric prays in an empty mosque, as Friday prayers were suspended following the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters -
The staff of a Palestinian mosque pray at an empty building as all the mosques in the Hebron area are closed amids the coronavirus pandemic. AFP -
A man wearing a protective face mask rests in front of the Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. EPA -
Palestinian groom Imad Sharaf, wearing gloves and a face mask, accompanies his bride Bara'a Amarneh as they arrive at their home in the village of al-Dahriya, south of Hebron in the West Bank. AFP -
A man walks down an empty street in central Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo -
Staffers of the Syrian Arab Ref Crescent with the cooperation of the Damascus Governorate undertake a massive sterilisation campaign in Damascus, Syria. EPA -
Customers wearing protective face masks queue outside a supermarket in Tunis, Tunisia. EPA -
Members of Morocco's Interior Ministry Auxiliary Forces instruct a man to return home in the capital Rabat, Morocco. AFP -
A cleaning worker wearing a protective suit sits in the entrance of metro station in Algiers, Algeria. Reuters -
An empty street in Algiers, Algeria. EPA -
A Syrian refugee receives sanitisation and cleaning supplies from a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the city of Sidon in southern Lebanon. AFP
"On the occasion of the Mother's Day, we extol the mothers of our martyrs and tell them that you all have instilled in our society noble humanitarian value of sacrifices, determination and fortitude,' said Sheikha Fatima.
"And while observing this occasion in and out of the country, we congratulate all women of the world on their ability to survive hardships and challenges in their quest to provide generations of young leaders capable of spearheading the development drive in their nation."
