UAE: a budget written for generations to come
- Jul 20
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
What the UAE did
In February 2025, the UAE Ministry of Finance launched its annual Federal Budget Yearbook under the title "Empowering the Future of Generations to Come", unveiled at the World Governments Summit 2025 in Dubai. The initiative aims to enhance transparency, promote financial literacy, and align the federal budget with the country's long-term development goals as set out in the UAE Centennial 2071 vision.
How it Delivered
The Yearbook provides a comprehensive analysis of both financial and non-financial data, covering key trends, achievements, revenue sources, expenditures and fiscal policies, and reaffirms the budget's alignment with national development priorities under Centennial 2071. It presents this information in an accessible format intended to deepen public understanding of the country's fiscal priorities across all segments of society.
What Made it Work?
Tying the annual budget to a vision with a 2071 horizon makes long-term intent visible in the most consequential document a government produces each year. The community edition matters too: a budget that citizens can actually read is a budget they can hold their government to.
Future Generations Takeaway
Budgets are where priorities stop being rhetoric. By designing its budget, and its public explanation of it, around generations to come, the UAE is making the long term legible in the numbers. Keeping the future open means showing your working.
This case study is based on one kindly shared with us by the us by School of International Futures (SOIF) and can be found in their digital implementation handbook: 'One Year in Practice: Stories of Global Action for Future Generations'. We have updated and expanded some case studies with more recent developments and additional sources where relevant.
