The United Arab Emirates is advancing plans for its first dedicated Arabic-language law, positioning the initiative as a long-term cultural strategy to strengthen national identity, education standards, and Arabic-language content across public life.
According to Shatha Al Mulla, the legislation forms part of broader efforts to reinforce Arabic as both a cultural and economic asset while maintaining the country’s global outlook and multilingual environment.
“The ministry really hopes that the law will contribute to strengthening national identity and cultural belonging, improving Arabic language proficiency among students and youth, expanding Arabic digital and media content, supporting creatives and the cultural industries, and advancing Arabic language as a language for science, innovation and the digital economy,” Ms Al Mulla told The National.
The proposed legislation, currently under development by the Ministry of Culture, would introduce requirements covering Arabic-language education, public communications, conferences, and customer-facing services. Moreover, the law would apply across schools, universities, the hospitality sector, and public institutions.
Arabic Language Policy Expands Across Education, Media, and Public Space
The forthcoming framework would require Arabic translations at conferences and seminars where Arabic is not the primary language. In addition, customer service departments and hospitality businesses, including hotels, would need Arabic-speaking staff within their teams.
“The law – discussed by Ms Al Mulla at a Federal National Council meeting last month and in the early stages of development – will set out new requirements for the teaching of Arabic in schools and universities, ensure the use of the language in public advertisement campaigns and make Arabic translations mandatory at public conferences and seminars in which it is not the primary language.”
Officials also confirmed that the legislation would establish standards for the recruitment, training, and assessment of Arabic-language teachers across all educational stages. Consequently, education remains central to the UAE’s broader cultural policy agenda.
Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi previously described the initiative as essential to preserving “cultural security and national identity,” rather than responding to concerns about the disappearance of the language itself.
At the same time, authorities emphasised that the strategy does not seek to reduce the role of English within the UAE’s international economy. Instead, policymakers describe the initiative as an effort to balance global connectivity with cultural preservation.
“It is a delicate balance. The policy is designed to achieve a balance and not isolation, maintaining global openness and multilingual competitiveness, while strengthening Arabic as a strategic cultural and economic asset,” she said.
Cultural Institutions and Education Experts Back Arabic Development Strategy
Cultural and educational organisations across the UAE have broadly supported the proposed legislation, particularly its focus on modernising Arabic education and expanding Arabic-language digital infrastructure.
Mother Tongue Centre representative Mohammed Aljifri said the initiative could strengthen Arabic’s role in both culture and business.
“This started to leave the boundaries of the economy, and influence the culture and identity: the UAE is now trying to protect that by enforcing and supporting the Arabic language.”
Meanwhile, Arabic Language Centre executive George Wehbe argued that Arabic teaching methods require significant reform to engage younger generations and professionals better.
“I think Arabic has to be revamped in the way it’s taught academically, not just for schools but to adults and professionals, to make it more accessible,” Mr Wehbe said.
The Ministry of Culture also confirmed that successful implementation will depend heavily on artificial intelligence tools, machine translation systems, speech recognition technologies, and Arabic-language digital platforms tailored to Arabic’s linguistic complexity.
“Successful implementation will require advanced technological infrastructure that supports Arabic language processing and AI applications, including linguistic databases, digital platforms, machine translation, speech recognition and AI solutions tailored to Arabic content,” Ms Al Mulla told The National.