On 12 October 2026, the UAE Cabinet, chaired by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, approved the federal budget for 2027–2029, totalling AED 292.5 billion. Representing a 28.3 per cent increase compared with the previous three-year period, the budget reflects a national vision that invests in people, supports the sustainability of public services, and lays the foundations for a new phase of development and prosperity.
This vision places a shared responsibility on all government institutions. Expanding education, healthcare, housing and infrastructure requires an integrated system of security and safety to protect national achievements and ensure their continuity. Civil Defence plays a strategic role in this system by safeguarding lives and property and mitigating risks that threaten communities and critical facilities.
Security is fundamental to people’s peace of mind in their homes, the safety of their children in schools, and their confidence in the continuity of essential services. It is equally vital to ensuring that businesses and economic sectors can continue to operate without disruption. Achieving these objectives requires sustained preventive measures, a high level of operational readiness, and effective coordination among the relevant authorities to strengthen capabilities and ensure an efficient response to emergencies. It also depends on every member of the community taking responsibility for safety.
Prevention is an investment in sustainable development. Guided by this principle, we have expanded our awareness programmes to reach school students and teaching staff at the start of the new academic year, while intensifying outreach across government and private-sector facilities and public spaces. These efforts aim to strengthen knowledge of preventive measures and appropriate responses during emergencies, making safety an everyday practice at home, at school and in the workplace.
In parallel, we continue to invest in the training and development of our personnel, upgrade equipment, and deploy advanced technologies to anticipate risks, support decision-making and accelerate emergency response. These efforts are essential to keeping pace with the UAE’s urban expansion and the growing diversity of its development projects. However, the effectiveness of these capabilities ultimately depends on the competence, preparedness and sound judgement of our people.
The UAE’s wise leadership has established an approach that places people at the heart of national priorities, directing resources towards building a better future and strengthening stability. Our responsibility is to advance this vision through preventive measures that anticipate risks, operational readiness that keeps pace with development, and an effective response that protects lives and preserves national achievements.
In this way, security remains a cornerstone of the UAE’s continued journey towards progress and prosperity, ensuring that development is not only sustained but also built on a firm foundation of safety, resilience and public confidence.
