Volunteering in the UAE: A humanitarian approach leading to a sustainable impact.. Ambitious vision aimed at making UAE among the top 3 in the World Giving Index

• Expanding the volunteers base to reach 600,000 active members with a total of 15 million volunteering hours
• Integrating volunteering into 80% of government entities' plans and empowering 500 of them to manage their volunteering opportunitie

The United Arab Emirates gives growing importance to the volunteer work ecosystem, in view of considering it a pillar for enhancing social cohesion and supporting sustainable development pathways. Since its establishment, the UAE has embedded the values of giving and humanitarian action as part of its culture; furthermore, over the past ten years, it has built a flexible institutional framework that encourages individuals and entities to engage in volunteer activities. This has positioned the UAE among the most active today in this domain, reflecting key components of the national identity underlined by the values of generosity and goodwill.
As a result of these efforts, between 2017 and 2024 the UAE saw in excess of 14 million volunteer hours, and youth comprised 60% of all volunteers.
The Ministry of Community Empowerment was established as the central authority responsible for regulating and developing the volunteering sector through building a legislative and technological framework that would encourage participation, ensure quality in initiatives, and support impactful efforts.This reflects an ambitious national vision, while being in tune with the Year of Community, when the Ministry launched a Volunteering & Community Engagement Framework broken down into four strategic initiatives that will enhance volunteerism and develop a culture of giving within the community.
These initiatives include The National Volunteering Strategy; a unified framework for establishing volunteering as a core societal value and the Volunteers.ae 2.0 which offers an interactive experience and specialized pathways that make volunteering opportunities more accessible, and 7 Over 7 initiative; a nationwide campaign designed to promote specialized volunteering across all seven emirates. In addition to the Your Time Counts initiative, which aims to foster a culture of volunteering within the federal government and encourage employees’ voluntary contributions.
The Ministry of Community Empowerment, in partnership with Emirates Foundation and a number of government entities, non-profit organizations, and private-sector partners is working to ensure the effective implementation and intended impact of these initiatives. Their collective goals include fostering the UAE’s position among the world’s top three countries on the World Giving Index, expanding the active volunteers base to 600,000 active members contributing 15 million volunteer hours, integrating volunteering into 80% of government entities’ plans, and enabling at least 500 government and private-sector entities, and non-profit organizations to manage their volunteering opportunities through the Volunteers.ae 2.0.
The UAE is committed to fostering professional, data-driven volunteering ecosystem powered by advanced technologies to enhance community participation and align volunteer efforts with national priorities, including sustainability, social empowerment, and strengthened community resilience in times of crisis. This ecosystem cultivates an empowering environment that enables individuals to contribute their full potential in service to their community and country.