The Community Development Authority Empowering Women Creates Lasting Impact For Families And Future Generations

The Community Development Authority in Dubai (CDA) affirmed that empowering Emirati women is a fundamental pillar of building a cohesive and sustainable society, recognising their central role within the family, their active contribution across various areas of development, and their ability to create lasting impact that extends from individuals to families, future generations and society as a whole.

Marking Emirati Women’s Day, the Women’s Committee at the Community Development Authority is implementing an integrated programme throughout the national period of celebration under the theme "We Will Appear Stronger and Better", announced by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, "Mother of the Emirates," as the theme for Emirati Women’s Day 2026. The national celebration runs from 28 August to 28 September.

The programme reflects CDA’s approach to empowerment as an integral part of a comprehensive social development ecosystem that connects women’s capabilities and quality of life with their economic and social empowerment, while strengthening their role within the family and society. It also supports the objectives of the Dubai Social Agenda 33 by contributing to more stable and cohesive families, enhancing quality of life, and promoting sustainable social development.

Empowering Women is an Investment in Families and Society

Her Excellency Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Director General of the Community Development Authority in Dubai, affirmed that empowering Emirati women is a fundamental pillar of the UAE’s development journey, recognising their role in building families, shaping future generations and contributing actively across various fields of development.

Her Excellency said: "The progress Emirati women have achieved today is the result of a firmly rooted national vision that believed in their capabilities and recognised them as partners in shaping the future. At the Community Development Authority, we continue to translate this vision into initiatives that enhance women’s quality of life, support their capabilities and strengthen their role within the family and society, contributing to the objectives of the Dubai Social Agenda 33."

Her Excellency Hessa commended the Women’s Committee for developing meaningful initiatives that respond to women’s needs and provide platforms for growth, participation and impact. She emphasised the importance of continuing to develop sustainable programmes whose positive impact extends across women, families and society.

From Celebration to Creating Impact

The Women’s Committee designed its programme to translate this year’s theme into practical initiatives that move beyond celebrating the occasion towards empowerment and impact. The programme brings together activities and initiatives addressing different dimensions of women’s professional, family and community roles.

The programme includes "Atharha.. Mashroo" ("Her Impact.. A Project"), which supports female CDA employees who run small and home-based businesses by providing a platform to showcase their products and services and raise awareness of their ventures. The initiative encourages entrepreneurship and innovation while supporting women in transforming their skills and aspirations into economic and social value.

It also features "Hekayat Qiyada" ("Leadership Stories"), a series of dialogue sessions that bring together female leaders and newly appointed female employees to exchange experiences and knowledge, strengthen professional connections across generations, and draw on leadership experiences to develop women’s capabilities and enhance their readiness for the future.

The programme also addresses one of CDA’s key areas of focus: strengthening families and promoting family cohesion. This includes dialogues on national identity and intergenerational communication, alongside specialised workshops for mothers, including mothers of People of Determination, focusing on self-confidence and emotional intelligence and their role in building stronger families and more supportive environments for children.

The programme further includes activities and initiatives that promote health, balance and quality of life, reflecting a holistic approach to empowerment that goes beyond a single aspect of women’s lives and seeks to strengthen their capabilities, wellbeing, participation and impact across their families, workplaces and communities.

Success is Measured by the Impact We Create

For her part, Maitha Al Shamsi, CEO of the Community Empowerment Sector at the Community Development Authority in Dubai, said that the Women’s Committee is developing initiatives that empower women, enhance their quality of life and harness their capabilities and experience, in alignment with CDA’s mandate and priorities in strengthening family cohesion and advancing community development.

Al Shamsi said: "At the Women’s Committee, we were keen to ensure that the Emirati Women’s Day programme goes beyond celebrating the occasion to become a platform for empowerment and impact. We therefore designed the initiatives to address different dimensions of women’s lives, from quality of life and balance to economic empowerment, leadership knowledge-sharing, and strengthening women’s role within the family and communication across generations."

She added: "We believe that the success of the Committee is measured by the impact it creates — a capability we develop, an experience we pass on, a project we support, or a family whose cohesion we strengthen. This is why initiatives such as ‘Atharha.. Mashroo’, ‘Hekayat Qiyada’ and the programmes dedicated to mothers were developed to translate this approach into practical initiatives with lasting impact."

Al Shamsi affirmed that the Women’s Committee will continue to develop initiatives that strengthen women’s participation, harness their capabilities and experience, and provide platforms that support their development and enable them to transform their aspirations into tangible and sustainable impact across the workplace, family and society.

The programme reflects CDA’s approach to developing initiatives that connect individual empowerment, family cohesion, quality of life and community participation, strengthening the role of Emirati women as partners in development and in shaping future generations, while contributing to Dubai’s vision of building a more cohesive, sustainable society with a high quality of life.