Abu Dhabi, December 15, 2025: Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA), the Authority today announced that the next edition of Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Week will take place from 16 to 22 November 2026, under the same theme “Together We Can Make Abu Dhabi a Family-Friendly Emirate.”

This announcement follows the success of the 2025 edition of Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Week across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. The Week was supported by Platinum Partners ADNOC (Energy Partner), the National Academy for Childhood Development (Visionary Partner), and PureHealth (Health Partner), in addition to Strategic Partners the Department of Municipalities and Transport and the Department of Culture and Tourism.

During the Week, HE Sana bint Mohamed bin Suhail, UAE Minister of Family and Director General of ECA carried out a number of visits including a visit to Danat Al Emarat Hospital on World Children’s Day to congratulate the parents of newborns, highlighting the importance of the early years. HE Sana also visited Emirates Humanitarian City and engaged with 130 young children and their families living there.

 The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Week 2025 in Numbers:

• More than 300 community activities and experiences were offered by over 70 partners across Abu Dhabi Emirate (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra).
• Over 65,000 attendees were engaged for a total of around 55,000 hours during these activities.
• The awareness campaign associated with the Week, Their Early Years Matter, received an overwhelming response from the community. Campaign messages were seen over 109 million times, and more than 862,000 people clicked and engaged with our content. These results show how strongly families and the wider community connected with the message of the Week that the early years of a child matter.
• Their Early Years Matter official film received 9 million views.
• 600 copies of the Parents’ Mental Wellbeing Guidelines, which aim to raise awareness about mental wellbeing and promote positive family practices, were distributed to parents.
• In collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), the Parent Pack was shared with parents across the Emirate through 257 schools, 235 nurseries and 37 charter school.

Looking ahead, the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Week 2026 will feature the WED Forum, which serves as the flagship gathering of the World Early Childhood Development (WED) Movement, a global (has impact both globally and locally) platform that connects ideas, people, and systems turning early childhood development knowledge into action. Anchored in Abu Dhabi and derived from the Arabic word “WED,” meaning affection and nurturing care, the Movement reflects the UAE’s belief that innovation and tradition can advance hand in hand.

The WED Forum 2026, which will be held under the theme “Connected Care: Families, Communities & Culture”, will bring together leaders, experts, and innovators from around the world to discuss the future of early childhood development. Through the sharing of practical ideas and meaningful collaboration, WED Forum 2026 will help turn insights into real benefits for young children and their families. It will also highlight Abu Dhabi’s role in driving shared progress locally, regionally, and globally.

The previous editions of the Forum, held in 2022 and 2024, brought together more than 1,000 participants and over 125 speakers from around the world, alongside 90+ researchers advancing inclusive early childhood research across underrepresented regions.

Further details, including the WED Forum agenda and strategic partners will be announced in 2026.