UAE Family First programme adds family seating on transport and parking for mothers

The UAE Ministry of Family has launched a programme called "Family First", part of the National Family Growth Agenda 2031. It reserves parking spaces for women who are expecting, sets aside family seats on public transport and adds dedicated rooms for families with children. WAM reported the measures on 8 November 2026 as part of a round-up of Year of Family 2026 initiatives.

The agency lists other steps meant to reduce financial and administrative burdens on families.

The Ministry of Family has teamed up with Fazaa to give resident families with at least one child a free membership valid all year. Members get discounts and services.

The Ministry of Justice, working with the federal identity and citizenship authority (ICP), introduced the "Emirati Family Data" package. It is designed to make updating family records easier and cut trips to service centres.

The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council approved changes to the Nafis programme. The limit on children's allowances is lifted. Salary support is extended to the children of Emirati mothers, as well as to wives of Emirati citizens, where they work in the private sector. The programme now runs until 2040.

In Abu Dhabi, the Judicial Department put out Resolution No. 43 of 2026, a charter for the period after parents separate. It sets out parental duties and the rights of children.

In Dubai, the Dubai Women's Association introduced 12 courses, 60 training hours in total, for social workers and family counsellors. It also organised a fifth traditional wedding event, this time for ten Emirati couples. The Dubai branch of the Emirates parents' care society ran more than 30 initiatives with 35 partner entities, reaching over 3,000 older people, families and children.

For families living in or visiting the UAE, the most direct changes are the family seating on public transport, the reserved parking for expectant mothers and the free Fazaa memberships for resident families with a child.