Dubai has issued a new law expanding the mandate of the Community Development Authority, creating a stronger legal framework for social services, vulnerable groups, low-income families and community development across the emirate.
Law No. 12 of 2026, issued by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, gives the authority broader responsibilities in regulating, planning and overseeing the social sector. The legislation places social protection, service quality, community cohesion and early intervention at the centre of Dubai’s welfare policy, while setting up new mechanisms to coordinate support across government entities and service providers.
The law concerns the Community Development Authority in Dubai and replaces Law No. 8 of 2015. It also repeals Law No. 15 of 2020 relating to the transfer of certain responsibilities from the Endowments and Minors’ Affairs Foundation to the authority. Existing decisions and regulations issued under the 2015 law will remain valid where they do not conflict with the new framework, pending replacement by updated rules.
The new law defines the authority’s objectives as regulating and developing Dubai’s social sector, improving community services, organising delivery channels, protecting and integrating vulnerable groups, and supporting the social and financial empowerment of citizens. It also seeks to encourage wider community participation and social responsibility, reflecting Dubai’s effort to build a more integrated welfare system alongside its rapid population and economic growth.
A key feature is the establishment of a Social Observatory within the authority’s structure. The observatory will study social trends and phenomena in the emirate, collect and analyse data, anticipate risks and support early intervention. It will build a comprehensive social database covering all groups in society, with special focus on those most exposed to vulnerability. Relevant entities will be required to provide the data and information needed for its work.
The law also creates a unified system to manage social and humanitarian cases requiring assistance across Dubai. Local government entities and service providers must use the platform, establish electronic links needed for its operation and provide the information required for case assessment, service coordination and follow-up. The move is designed to reduce fragmentation in welfare delivery and ensure that individuals and families receive comprehensive support rather than isolated services.
Dubai’s Community Development Authority will have responsibility for setting social policies and strategies, proposing relevant legislation, regulating social organisations and professionals, and overseeing licensing in the sector. It will also organise volunteer work, support access to social services, strengthen family cohesion, establish community centres and develop partnerships to improve service delivery.
The law gives detailed attention to the care of minors, persons without legal capacity and persons with limited legal capacity. The authority will provide social services to these groups based on decisions issued by judicial or competent authorities. Its role includes monitoring their living conditions, ensuring access to social, health, educational and recreational needs, safeguarding them from unlawful practices, and placing them in approved social or healthcare facilities where required.
Low-income individuals are also covered under the new framework. The Community Development Authority will define and classify low-income individuals under criteria approved by the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. It will also conduct periodic reviews of those criteria in light of economic and social indicators and submit recommendations for approval.
The legislation establishes a Community Development Fund within the authority. The fund’s revenues will be used to provide financial support to eligible groups and finance social projects and services across Dubai. Assistance may include cash and non-cash support, as well as emergency aid during disasters, crises and exceptional circumstances. The fund will also support vocational training programmes for unemployed individuals, helping prepare them for the labour market and improve their living standards.
The new framework builds on Dubai’s wider effort to raise the quality and accountability of social services. The updated Dubai Social Services Quality Standard, launched in 2025, introduced a regulatory structure built around leadership, service delivery and the protection of clients’ and families’ rights. It included 21 core standards, 57 sub-standards and more than 200 detailed requirements, with provisions for people of determination, senior citizens and children.
The law’s emphasis on data, case management and private-sector partnerships suggests a shift from traditional welfare administration towards a more coordinated social development model. By requiring service providers and public entities to share information through a unified system, the emirate is seeking earlier identification of hardship, abuse, neglect or social exclusion.
The framework also places new weight on the role of companies, institutions and individuals in funding community development programmes. This approach aligns with Dubai’s broader public-private model, under which government policy sets the framework while private and community actors are encouraged to contribute to service delivery, funding and social innovation.
Law No. 12 of 2026, issued by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in his capacity as Ruler of Dubai, gives the authority broader responsibilities in regulating, planning and overseeing the social sector. The legislation places social protection, service quality, community cohesion and early intervention at the centre of Dubai’s welfare policy, while setting up new mechanisms to coordinate support across government entities and service providers.
The law concerns the Community Development Authority in Dubai and replaces Law No. 8 of 2015. It also repeals Law No. 15 of 2020 relating to the transfer of certain responsibilities from the Endowments and Minors’ Affairs Foundation to the authority. Existing decisions and regulations issued under the 2015 law will remain valid where they do not conflict with the new framework, pending replacement by updated rules.
The new law defines the authority’s objectives as regulating and developing Dubai’s social sector, improving community services, organising delivery channels, protecting and integrating vulnerable groups, and supporting the social and financial empowerment of citizens. It also seeks to encourage wider community participation and social responsibility, reflecting Dubai’s effort to build a more integrated welfare system alongside its rapid population and economic growth.
A key feature is the establishment of a Social Observatory within the authority’s structure. The observatory will study social trends and phenomena in the emirate, collect and analyse data, anticipate risks and support early intervention. It will build a comprehensive social database covering all groups in society, with special focus on those most exposed to vulnerability. Relevant entities will be required to provide the data and information needed for its work.
The law also creates a unified system to manage social and humanitarian cases requiring assistance across Dubai. Local government entities and service providers must use the platform, establish electronic links needed for its operation and provide the information required for case assessment, service coordination and follow-up. The move is designed to reduce fragmentation in welfare delivery and ensure that individuals and families receive comprehensive support rather than isolated services.
Dubai’s Community Development Authority will have responsibility for setting social policies and strategies, proposing relevant legislation, regulating social organisations and professionals, and overseeing licensing in the sector. It will also organise volunteer work, support access to social services, strengthen family cohesion, establish community centres and develop partnerships to improve service delivery.
The law gives detailed attention to the care of minors, persons without legal capacity and persons with limited legal capacity. The authority will provide social services to these groups based on decisions issued by judicial or competent authorities. Its role includes monitoring their living conditions, ensuring access to social, health, educational and recreational needs, safeguarding them from unlawful practices, and placing them in approved social or healthcare facilities where required.
Low-income individuals are also covered under the new framework. The Community Development Authority will define and classify low-income individuals under criteria approved by the Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai. It will also conduct periodic reviews of those criteria in light of economic and social indicators and submit recommendations for approval.
The legislation establishes a Community Development Fund within the authority. The fund’s revenues will be used to provide financial support to eligible groups and finance social projects and services across Dubai. Assistance may include cash and non-cash support, as well as emergency aid during disasters, crises and exceptional circumstances. The fund will also support vocational training programmes for unemployed individuals, helping prepare them for the labour market and improve their living standards.
The new framework builds on Dubai’s wider effort to raise the quality and accountability of social services. The updated Dubai Social Services Quality Standard, launched in 2025, introduced a regulatory structure built around leadership, service delivery and the protection of clients’ and families’ rights. It included 21 core standards, 57 sub-standards and more than 200 detailed requirements, with provisions for people of determination, senior citizens and children.
The law’s emphasis on data, case management and private-sector partnerships suggests a shift from traditional welfare administration towards a more coordinated social development model. By requiring service providers and public entities to share information through a unified system, the emirate is seeking earlier identification of hardship, abuse, neglect or social exclusion.
The framework also places new weight on the role of companies, institutions and individuals in funding community development programmes. This approach aligns with Dubai’s broader public-private model, under which government policy sets the framework while private and community actors are encouraged to contribute to service delivery, funding and social innovation.
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