There’s more than just a four-day weekend to celebrate this UAE National Day. Falling on Sunday, December 2, National Day marks the day seven Emirates came together to form one nation in 1971. This year’s celebrations promise to be extra special because 2018 has been marked as the Year of Zayed after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the federation’s first president and a revered leader in the UAE’s history.
Typically, National Day is celebrated with fireworks, car rallies, and dance shows and is a time for the entire nation to come together and celebrate. Citizens usually dress up in UAE national flag colours, decorate their homes, workplaces, cars, and neighbourhoods and celebrate their national pride through joyful celebrations.
In addition to the year-long celebrations and special projects in honour of the Year of Zayed, 2018 has also been a significant year in the UAE politically, socially, culturally, and economically.
In this year’s UAE Human Development Report, the United Arab Emirates ranked 34th out of 189 countries—a score that indicated a very high rate for human development. To give that ranking some context, some of the key facts and figures include:
¥ A total workforce of 6.4 million
¥ A life expectancy of 77.4 (a number that has increased by six years in the last two decades)
¥ 22.5% of parliamentary seats are held by women
¥ 78.8% of adult women have reached at least a secondary level of education (compared to just 65.7% of their male counterparts)
¥ Highest overall quality of life numbers compared to other neighbouring nations
In other words, the UAE is a leading nation not just in the Gulf region, but in the entire world.
From an economic and immigration standpoint, 2018 was also an important year for the UAE. The government announced a new 10-year visa option for international investors and highly skilled workers including those who specialize in medical, research, and technical fields as well as for scientists and innovators. This move has made it easier for the UAE to attract top talent who will contribute to moving the nation—and the world—further forward.
2018 was also a significant year for many political reasons within UAE including an announcement by the Government of Canada that UAE citizens would be allowed to travel visa-free to Canada. Being recognized as a safe and thriving nation by a country like Canada is a huge signal to the rest of the world that having a UAE passport is a valuable asset.
The announcement made Canada the ninth country in 2018 alone to lift visa restrictions for UAE passport holders. Burkina Faso, China, Ireland, Honduras, Guinea, Tonga, and Uruguay are among the others.
Culturally, 2018 has been a year of celebration and cultural initiatives through the Year of Zayed. But 2018 also marked the inaugural CultureSummit in Abu Dhabi—the world’s first high-level summit that convened leaders from the worlds of arts, media, public policy, and technology to identify ways that culture can raise awareness, build bridges and be a tool for positive change. The event included 450 delegates from 90 countries.
The summit comes on the heels of significant cultural milestones like the opening of The Louvre Abu Dhabi, a Guggenheim Museum, and the Zayed National Museum.
For those interested in living, working, and thriving in the UAE, there are two paths to take:
Option 1: Establish a company within one of the UAE’s numerous free-trade zones.
Option 2: Establish a Department of Economic Development (DED) company in the United Arab Emirates.
At Migrate World, we offer services to help interested investors navigate both options to complete the necessary paperwork and processes to help establish companies quickly, easily, and most importantly, properly.
The momentum seen in 2018 is showing no signs of slowing down. Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of it. Contact us today.
