Statement by Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, on the occasion of Arabic Language Day

Her Excellency Noura bint Mohammad Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said: “Since the formation of the Union, the UAE has attached great importance to the Arabic language. Preserving and promoting the language has been at the forefront of the nation’s culture and knowledge agenda. The UAE has been leading the efforts for the development and preservation of Arabic and has launched several initiatives to that effect. It endeavours to position Arabic among the most important languages in the world to help regain its original place among top global languages while also developing it for the future despite numerous challenges.

Her Excellency continued: "The Ministry of Culture and Youth is keen to activate various efforts to celebrate the Arabic Language Day and honour the language. We shall continue to enhance the status of our language in cooperation with our partner cultural agencies and institutions locally as well as in the Arab world. We are committed to this approach through a number of initiatives, events and programmes that contribute to strengthening the Arabic language. The launch of the Report on the Status of the Arabic Language in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) was one of the many initiatives that we have undertaken. We also worked on developing the Arabic Language Declaration announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in addition to the Arabic Language Summit, which begins its first session on Tuesday, December 20, 2022. The summit will be a platform to strengthen the efforts of language aficionados and experts who are keen to serve the most pertinent issues affecting the present and the future of Arabic and its role in shaping the Arab identity of societies.”