Another Emirati Women’s Day is here, but this year the celebration looks a little different, expanding from a single day into a full month of recognition, initiatives, and opportunities under the theme “We Emerge Stronger and Better” to celebrate the women shaping the UAE
For the past decade, August 28th has been a significant date in the UAE calendar, as Emirati Women’s Day has provided an annual opportunity to recognise the achievements of Emirati women and reflect on the increasingly important roles they play across the country’s social, economic, cultural, political, and sporting landscape. This year, however, the occasion is becoming something considerably bigger. Changing from just a one day celebration, 2026 is the first time the occasion will become a month-long programme, giving the UAE more time to celebrate the women who have helped shape its past while highlighting those who are defining its future.
A Day Built Around a National Legacy
Emirati Women’s Day was established in 2015 by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation and Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union. The date of August 28th was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the founding of the General Women’s Union in 1975, which was established to support the advancement of women and their participation in the development of the UAE.
Over the years, the occasion has grown into an important moment for recognising the contributions of Emirati women across virtually every area of society. Entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, athletes, government leaders, educators, pilots, and mothers, Emirati Women’s Day celebrates the breadth of roles women have played in the UAE’s development. It also tells a much wider national story, one in which women’s participation has expanded rapidly alongside the country’s own transformation.
A Celebration That Now Lasts All Month
In 2026, that story enters a new chapter. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak announced in July that Emirati Women’s Day would no longer be limited to a single date, with this year’s celebration extending into a full month beginning on August 28th. The decision shows the growing scale of women’s achievements across the UAE and creates greater space for initiatives, events, conversations, and recognition throughout the country.
The theme for this year’s celebration, “We Emerge Stronger and Better,” captures that evolution particularly well. The month-long format allows the occasion to move beyond simply looking back at what Emirati women have achieved and towards recognising the opportunities still ahead. It also gives organisations, businesses, cultural institutions, and communities more time to tell the stories of the women shaping the UAE today.
Women Breaking New Ground Around the World
The achievements we are now seeing being celebrated are increasingly global in scale. Just this year, Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais became the first woman to serve as Secretary-General of UN Tourism, taking up the role for the 2026–2029 term. Her appointment is a significant milestone not only for Emirati women but for women in global tourism leadership, placing an Emirati woman at the head of the United Nations specialised agency responsible for tourism.
Elsewhere, Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak continues to lead one of the world’s most important environmental organisations as President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). First elected in 2021 as the organisation’s second female president and its first president from West Asia, she was re-elected for a second term in 2025. Her work places an Emirati woman at the centre of global conversations around conservation, biodiversity, and climate action.
Emirati women are also breaking barriers in fields where they were once rarely seen. Racing drivers Amna Al Qubaisi and her sister Hamda have both competed in F1 Academy, the all-female single-seater championship created as a pathway for female racing talent. Amna became the first Arab woman to win a Formula 4 race and went on to represent the Red Bull Academy Programme in F1 Academy, while Hamda has also established herself as a race winner in the series.
And then there are the achievements that seem almost impossible until someone does them. On 14 May 2022, Nayla Al Baloushi became the first Emirati woman to summit Mount Everest, reaching the 8,849-metre summit. She was followed by fellow Emirati mountaineer Danah Al Ali, who became the second Emirati woman to achieve the feat and later completed the remarkable journey from Everest to neighbouring Lhotse within 24 hours. These achievements are just some examples of how the definition of what is possible continues to expand.
Celebrating Emirati Women Through Sport
Sport is one of the areas where that changing definition is particularly visible. This Emirati Women’s Day, JA Sports & Shooting Club is shining a spotlight on the Emirati women who have helped reshape the country's sporting landscape through a new campaign featuring a cinematic hero film and documentary-style profiles of athletes including Aisha Alawadhi, Nouf Al Anziv, and Fatima Al Harthi.
The campaign highlights women competing at international level across different disciplines. Aisha Alawadhi is one of the UAE’s leading female padel players and has represented the country on the international FIP Tour, while Nouf Al Anziv, captain of the UAE Women’s National Football Team, has helped pave the way for Emirati women in football. Fatima Al Harthi, meanwhile, has broken new ground in endurance riding, one of the UAE’s most deeply rooted sporting traditions. Their stories are a reminder that sporting achievement can also change what young girls believe is possible for themselves.
Art, Heritage and Culinary Craft
Elsewhere, Emirati Women’s Day is being celebrated through art and culture. At Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island, an exhibition of 12 works by acclaimed Emirati artist Maisoon Al Saleh has been on display throughout August, exploring themes including identity, memory, heritage, transformation, and the relationship between traditional and contemporary Emirati culture.
The celebration continues at Meylas with a limited-time Emirati Woman’s Afternoon Tea, available until August 31st. Inspired by regional ingredients including dates, pistachio, saffron, za’atar, labneh, preserved lemon, and fig, the menu offers a contemporary interpretation of Emirati flavours. Together, the exhibition and afternoon tea offer a different way of celebrating Emirati women, connecting the occasion with the country’s creative heritage and culinary traditions.
Making Wellbeing Part of the Celebration
In Dubai, VEO Fitness is taking a more active approach, hosting four complimentary yoga classes across its clubs in Manzil Downtown, Arabian Ranches 2, Meadows, and Hayya Lakes from August 27th to 30th. Open to women of all nationalities, the programme is designed around movement, mindfulness, connection, and wellbeing, allowing women to mark the occasion through shared experiences.
The programme also shows how Emirati Women’s Day has evolved into something that can be experienced in many different ways. There is no single definition of what celebrating women should look like. For some, it might mean recognising an extraordinary career achievement. For others, it could mean discovering an artist, supporting a female athlete, learning about Emirati heritage, or simply taking time to prioritise personal wellbeing.
A Celebration With More Room to Grow
The decision to turn Emirati Women’s Day into a month-long celebration feels fitting for an occasion that has itself grown considerably since its inception. One day can provide a moment of recognition, but a month creates space for more stories to be told, more achievements to be acknowledged, and more women to be introduced to the audiences they can inspire.
Across global leadership, conservation, motorsport, mountaineering, art, sport, wellness, and entrepreneurship, the women being celebrated represent an increasingly broad picture of what it means to contribute to the UAE. And as the country enters this new chapter for Emirati Women’s Day, perhaps the most exciting part is that there are still countless stories yet to be told.
After all, the women being celebrated today were once the next generation themselves. The achievements they are making now may well become the inspiration for the Emirati women we will be celebrating years from now.
