Mohammed announces Minister for Family, renames Ministry of Community Development

Under the directives and blessing of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, has announced a government reshuffle, including the establishment of the "Ministry of Family " and elevating the role of the "Ministry of Community Development" to become the "Ministry of Community Empowerment."

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: "Under the directives of my brother, the President of the UAE, and with his blessing, we announce today a government reshuffle that includes the establishment of the 'Ministry of Family.' This new Ministry will be led by Her Excellency Sana Bint Mohammad Suhail, whose extensive experience in early childhood development, family welfare, and supporting people of determination, along with her years of dedicated service in government, makes her uniquely qualified for this critical role."

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum added: "Family is a national priority, the cornerstone of our progress, and the foundation of our nation’s future. During the recent Annual Government Meetings, the UAE President underscored the need for comprehensive national programmes aimed at increasing family formation in the UAE, fostering growth, empowering families, and strengthening their cohesion and stability, while also boosting fertility rates.

Sana Bint Mohammad Suhail

"The new ministry will take charge of this vital mission by developing legislation, policies, and programmes to address these challenges. This task is not the ministry's alone. It is a shared responsibility involving parents, ministries, entities, as well as the public and private sectors. Families form the solid nucleus of our society, and their strength ensures the cohesion of our communities. We call on everyone to contribute to the empowerment and support of families, and we anticipate significant positive developments in this critical area in the coming period."

Ministry of Community Empowerment

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum noted: "As part of this government reshuffle, we have elevated the role of the 'Ministry of Community Development' to become the 'Ministry of Community Empowerment,' under the leadership of Her Excellency Shamma Bint Suhail Al Mazrui. The ministry will adopt a pioneering and integrated community empowerment model designed to amplify community participation and unlock the potential of every individual. The ministry will oversee the social support system and empowerment programmes, providing a safety net for low-income families and tailored pathways to improve their quality of life and foster their financial independence.

"Furthermore, it will play a pivotal role in regulating the third sector and activating the role of not-for-profit organisations to create a lasting social impact and contribute to the nation’s progress."

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed further said: "The Education, Human Development and Community Development Council, led by Abdullah Bin Zayed and Mariam Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed, will oversee the development of strategic directions in the family and community empowerment portfolios, and the alignment between the plans of the new ministries, linking their directions with education and human development within a unified and a comprehensive vision. The human journey in the UAE is integrated and interconnected from birth to the completion of education, to the career pathways, to the growth of families, and to the contribution to the community and the country."

Sheikh Mohammed added: "We extend our best wishes to everyone as they embark on their new roles, confident that these changes will help us realize our collective aspirations.. Together, through shared responsibility, we can create a powerful national team – uniting sectors, organisations and individuals – to lay the foundation for family stability and drive remarkable progress in the social sector."

Sana Bint Mohammad Suhail has been serving as the Director General of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority since April 2021. She previously held positions including Undersecretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy and Communication at the General Secretariat of the UAE Cabinet (2013-2016), Assistant Undersecretary for Support Services at the Ministry of Public Works (2011-2013), and Assistant Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai (2003-2010).

She is also a board member of Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination (since 2020), a member of the UAE Gender Balance Council, and served on The Higher Committee of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019. She holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Zayed University and another in Child Rights from the University of Geneva.

Establishment of the Ministry of Family

The Ministry of Family will be responsible for developing and implementing policies, strategies, legislation, and initiatives aimed at fostering cohesive families, promoting positive values, enhancing national identity, and supporting balanced family development.

The ministry will also conduct studies and propose policies and initiatives to increase fertility rates among Emirati families, reduce the risks of family breakdown, and mitigate its negative impact on individuals and society.

Supporting Marriage and Child Welfare

The Ministry of Family’s responsibilities include developing and implementing initiatives to prepare, encourage, and support prospective couples, as well as managing marriage support services and grants. It will develop programmes to promote family cohesion, provide parental training, and enhance work-life balance. Additionally, the ministry will introduce measures to protect families and individuals from violence under applicable legislation.

The ministry will also focus on child welfare, proposing policies and strategies to ensure the social, psychological, educational, and health rights of children, in collaboration with relevant authorities. It will design initiatives to support children’s development, particularly during early childhood, and evaluate their effectiveness.

Empowering Vulnerable Groups

The Ministry of Family will propose strategies to protect, empower, and integrate vulnerable groups, including People of Determination, senior citizens, orphans, and victims of abuse. It will collaborate with entities in health, education, and other sectors to create comprehensive care and integration programs for these groups. The ministry will also develop and manage family care programmes for children in need of alternative families and issue official documents for children born of unknown parentage.

Licensing Social Care institutions, facilities and professionals

The Ministry of Family functions will include outlining standards and procedures for licensing institutions and facilities providing social care services. Additionally, it will include developing training programmes for social care sector.

Social Support Programme

As part of this announcement, the Ministry of Community Development has been elevated to become the Ministry of Community Empowerment. A key focus area of the ministry will be to propose and design policies, strategies and regulations for an innovative and integrated social support system for low-income families. The ministry will focus on providing targeted support to enhance the quality of life for these families while enabling their economic participation and financial independence. This includes defining the framework of social support, establishing eligibility criteria, overseeing the implementation of these policies, managing social support applications, and ensuring the efficient disbursement of support to beneficiaries.

Empowerment Pathways for Social Support Beneficiaries

The Ministry of Community Empowerment will also develop and implement tailored pathways to enable social support beneficiaries to achieve sustained self-reliance. This will involve creating strategic partnerships with key stakeholders to enhance beneficiaries' skills and provide training and employment opportunities aligned with their health, social conditions, and professional readiness.

Additionally, the ministry will conduct regular monitoring and evaluation to assess the progress of beneficiaries and the impact of the empowerment programmes. By adopting a human centric and data-driven approach, the ministry will prepare forward-looking studies and forecasts on demographic shifts and economic and social conditions affecting beneficiaries.

Regulating the Third Sector and Enhancing the Contribution of Not for Profit Organisations

The Ministry of Community Empowerment will propose and develop policies, strategies, and legislation to regulate not for profit organisations and enhance their contributions to national priorities. Its mandate includes establishing standards, criteria, and procedures for licensing and registering non-profit organisations, issuing licences, and overseeing their operations.

The ministry will also evaluate and measure their impact on economic and social development. To ensure accountability and integrity, it will implement mechanisms and safeguards while designing and executing plans to empower these organisations, build their capacities, and provide financial and technical support to align their contributions with the UAE’s national priorities.

The ministry will also be responsible for setting criteria and procedures for licensing entities permitted to collect, receive, or offer donations, both domestically and internationally. This includes issuing licences and ensuring compliance with regulations. Furthermore, the ministry will develop and implement programmes to promote volunteering initiatives among individuals, government entities, and private sector organisations across various fields, fostering a spirit of service and contribution to the nation’s development.

The Ministry of Community Empowerment will also oversee the licensing, and regulation of houses of worship for non-Muslims.

Fostering Social Cohesion

The Ministry of Community Empowerment will design and implement programmes and initiatives to strengthen social cohesion among diverse segments of society, creating an inclusive and unified community. It will develop innovative models and mechanisms to promote social innovation community contributions across public, private, and third-sector organizations, and guide these efforts to align with the UAE’s national priorities in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, and the services and programmes provided to the beneficiaries of the former Ministry of Community Development will continue in place until the role of the two new ministries is activated through transitional plans that will include transitioning the services and programmes gradually during the upcoming year. Beneficiaries will be notified of any updates regularly through official channels.