Reflecting on the Year 2021: UN UAE Annual Report

In 2021, as the United Arab Emirates celebrated 50 years since the federation was established, we paused to reflect on the UN-UAE partnership, its evolution over the past five decades, and how the UN system is working closely with the UAE in building the future the UAE envisions. This partnership contributes to the shared global causes of peace, development, and prosperity all around the world, leaving no one behind.

Together with the UN Country Team for the UAE, the UN Resident Coordinator’s office for the UAE published the 2021 UN Country Annual Results Report reflecting on the impactful engagement of the UN with the UAE to the world. The report also highlights the 50-year strategic partnership between the UN and the UAE.

“In 2021, the UAE celebrated 50 years since the federation was established. On this momentous occasion, we paused to reflect on the UN-UAE partnership, its evolution over the past five decades, and how the UN system is working closely with the UAE in building the future the UAE envisions,” said Dena Assaf, the UN Resident Coordinator for the UAE.

There are 31 UN agencies operating as part of the UN UAE country team, with over 370 staff spread over 15 office locations across the Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah Emirates. The UN-UAE partnership contributes to the shared global causes of peace, development, and prosperity for all around the world, leaving no one behind. Today, the UN-UAE partnership has expanded to tackle a variety of global humanitarian and development challenges, ranging from peace and security to biodiversity and other aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with significant results.

Looking back at the year 2021, Expo 2020 was the centerpiece for the UN in the UAE, tying together the broader UN system around the world to engage in the first-ever World Expo in the Middle East and North Africa region, with the SDGs underpinning the overall theme of “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future”. Home of the UN at Expo2020, the UN Hub was the most visited UN premises in the world in 2021, with over 100,000 visitors throughout Expo 2020.

The year 2021 witnessed the UN’s strong humanitarian presence in the UAE; becoming a core operational capacity for global humanitarian response operations. The UN in the UAE fulfilled 545 emergency requests supporting 117 countries with over 1,000 shipments, ranging from Venezuela to the Philippines. Besides, the public interest in the UN’s work in the UAE also increased significantly in 2021, which was accompanied by the election of the UAE to the United Nations Security Council in June 2021 (for a term commencing on 1 January 2022). Above and beyond, in 2021, the UAE has been listed as the third-largest supplier to the United Nations System worldwide, following the United States and India.

What is next? 

The UN RCO and the UN Country Team for the UAE will continue to build on the momentum to advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and sustain the same energy and commitment in exploring opportunities with the UAE government and local partners for a better tomorrow. 

The report tackles the work of the UN in the UAE during 2021 under the umbrella of peace, people, planet, prosperity, and partnerships.

Click here to read the full report.