Is the United Arab Emirates part of the UN?

United Arab Emirates

Is the United Arab Emirates part of the UN?

Photo: © UN/ RCO for UAE

The UN in the United Arab Emirates

The UN’s in-country presence in the UAE dates back to 1972 when UNICEF established its UAE office in Dubai. The United Nations expanded its presence in the country following the establishment of the International Humanitarian City. Today, there are around 350 UN personnel in the UAE, supporting over 60 United Nations programmes and projects in the country from 13 office locations.  Another 9 UN entities engage with the UAE through their regional presence and headquarters.

The UN’s engagement in the UAE is concentrated on policy-level technical cooperation and advisory support on a variety of issues.  UN agencies also work closely with government counterparts and other partners in advocacy, outreach, and mobilization in support of shared objectives and internationally agreed development and cooperation frameworks.

In terms of thematic activities, UN engagement revolves around several programmatic areas of importance to national counterparts, such as international humanitarian relief operations, food security, climate change, gender equality, youth empowerment, among others. These priorities are being revisited to improve realignment with Agenda 2030 and the UAE’s development ambitions. 

Cornerstones

1. The UAE is an important regional and global partner with active initiatives to promote peace and stability, respond to emerging crises, and support life-saving humanitarian operations around the world. 

2. Advancing the wellbeing of people remains the cornerstone of the UN’s programming in the UAE. Different UN agencies have a series of policy-level engagements as well as technical assistance projects focusing on several socio-demographic groups, such as women, children and youth, and migrant workers.

3. A key element of UN engagement with the UAE involves a wide range of interventions in relation to the natural sciences, biodiversity, and climate change.

4. In response to national priorities relating to economic growth and prosperity, UN entities engage with government counterparts in a range of initiatives intended to advise policymakers and strengthen engagements in related SDG targets.

5. The United Nations system engages with a variety of partners in the UAE, including governmental agencies, private sector representatives, research organizations and think tanks, media partners, and social-cause organizations, all of which are vital to UN programming in the country.

To learn more, visit: https://unitedarabemirates.un.org/en

Data about the work of the UN Country Team on COVID-19 is available on their Country Dashboard. 

UN United Arab Emirates Country Team

Resident Coordinator Office

Dena Assaf

Resident Coordinator

Katherine Lester

Strategic Planning officer/RCO Team Leader

UN Entities in United Arab Emirates

ICAO

Sorin-Dan Onitiu

International Expert - MID FPP Programme Manager

ILO

Ryzsard Cholewinski

GCC Programme Coordinator

ITU

Adel Darwish

Regional Director

OHCHR

Ansam Al-Abayechi

Regional Gender Advisor & Team Lead for GCC

UNEP

Sami Dimassi

Director, West Asia Office

UN Women

Mouza Al Shehhi

Director - UAE Liaison Office for the GCC

UNDP

Hany Torky

Chief Technical Advisor - Regional Programme

UNDSS

Amr El Nasharty

Security Advisor

UNHCR

Mohamed Abdel Wahab

OIC / Protection Officer

UNRWA

Lina Hijazi

UNRWA Focal Point for UAE

UNWTO

Basmah Al Mayman

Regional Director for the Middle East

WFP

Mageed Yahia

Director WFP UAE & Representative to the GCC Region

WHO

Hala Sakr

Regional Advisor / UAE Desk Officer

World Bank

Iva Hamel

Representative

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The UAE's Mission to the UN works to achieve our foreign ministry's policy vision in the multilateral arena. We apply the UAE's unique perspective and passion for diplomacy to the United Nations and help improve the lives of people around the world through tolerance, cooperation, innovation and sustainability.

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The Emirates Group.