It has been a big year for the UAE, with a series of initiatives and announcements marking 50th anniversary celebrations that promise future prosperity as the nation strides towards its centenary.
Tied in with legal reforms and a change to the way we work, joining global economies with a Saturday to Sunday weekend from 2022, it has been a significant 12 months.
Changes to residential status and expansion of long-term visas made it easier for residents to plan for the future, and consider retiring in the Emirates for the first time.
A series of announcements in September revealed detailed plans for the future, with 50 national projects unveiled.
As the UAE prepares for 2022, here are just some of the changes that made 2021 special.
Laying the foundations of a strong economy
The 50 projects initiative aims to boost economic growth. A huge fund of Dh5 billion ($1.36bn) will support Emirati initiatives in priority sectors and stimulate industry.
Partnership with Emirates Development Bank will provide further financial stimulus in technology over the next five years as the UAE transitions towards a 5G world and even greater internet connectivity.
Khaled Mohamed Balama, governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, said the bank’s plan for the next 50 years was based on several major areas.
They include adopting artificial intelligence, analysing big data, using digital identity and dealing with the repercussions of climate change on the banking and insurance sector.
Meanwhile, a new 10x10 programme of exports aims to boost UAE trade to global markets by 10 per cent.
China, the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Poland, Luxembourg, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia are all set to benefit from greater international trade with the UAE in the years ahead.
Urban Plan 2040, Dubai
Among the year’s significant announcements was the 2040 Urban Plan for Dubai in March.
It promises to reshape the face of the nation’s most populous emirate, by enhancing and expanding existing communities, while developing new areas to attract residents.
Dubai’s latest development plan is the seventh since 1960 and will see five areas benefit from substantial work.
Land will be prioritised for education and health care, boosting facilities' existing capacity by 25 per cent.
Substantial focus has been placed on attracting more people to Dubai to enhance growth.
Areas for hotels and tourism will expand by 134 per cent, while the number of safe public beaches will grow by 400 per cent.
The plan places the natural world at its centre, with 60 per cent of Dubai to comprise of nature reserves and natural areas, and more than half of the population will live within 800 metres of public transport, reducing the reliance on cars to help cut emissions.
New visas and long-term residency
Early announcements to complement 50 years of unification were an expanded framework for visas to attract new talent to the country to live and work.
New “green visas” were made available for freelancers, highly skilled professionals, investors, entrepreneurs and top performing students. A further change allows children over the age of 15 to work for the first time.
Another breakthrough was the decision to allow graduates to sponsor themselves for the first time.
Technological developments
Data could well become the currency of the future, and new data protection laws promise greater online protection for consumers and restrict the proliferation of fake news.
Education in coding, the process of designing new computer programmes, is seen as central to technological growth.
The 100 Coders Every Day initiative will increase the number of coders from 64,000 to 100,000 in a year.
Incentives and benefits will be offered to support new programming companies.
UAE's commitment to humanitarian aid
The UAE aims to continue its presence as a beacon of hope and opportunity in a region often plagued by turmoil and uncertainty.
It values “good neighbourliness” as a foundation of national stability.
Distributing humanitarian aid has been a key component of the UAE's foreign policy, not just in 2021 but especially during the entire Covid-19 pandemic, sending aid worth hundreds of millions of dollars to countries, including large shipments of personal protective equipment.
The UAE was also central in aid efforts for Afghanistan after the US withdrawal.
Biggest legal changes in UAE's history
Throughout 2021 there have been a series of amendments to existing laws, and numerous new laws to change the country's way of life.
In total, more than 40 new and updated laws have been drafted in, and include the decriminalisation of alcohol consumption and cohabitation of unmarried couples.
Other significant changes include new laws for non-Muslims in Abu Dhabi, allowing them to conduct procedures such as inheritance claims, divorce and child custody disputes in the jurisdictions of their countries of origin.
Greater rights have also been legally passed for women, and include an increase in maternity leave by a minimum of 30 per cent.
Employers must now offer a minimum of 45 days at full pay plus 15 more days at 50 per cent pay under the new terms.
Other new laws under consideration will tackle money laundering and terrorist financing by changing the way charitable donations are made.
Non-profit organisations will also face greater scrutiny under new legislation.
There have also been changes to UAE drug laws that limit criminal action against those in possession of items containing cannabis extracts, such as in cosmetics and health products.
Items with traces of the drug — such as the THC compound — will instead be seized and destroyed, with no punishment for first-time possession.
Workers celebrate the UAE's Golden Jubilee — in pictures
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Habib El Qalb
Assi Al Hallani
(Rotana)
Need to know
When: October 17 until November 10
Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration
Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center
What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.
For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
