Family-Focused Employer of the Year Award Nomination Form

In line with the UAE’s 2026 “Year of Family,” the UAE Gender Balance Council launched the Family-Focused Employer Award. It is open to SDG 5 pledge signatories only.

AWARD NOMINATION: FAMILY-FOCUSED EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

In line with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, declaring 2026 as the "Year of the Family," and in recognition of the family as the foundation of a cohesive and prosperous society, Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance, has announced the launch of the "Family-Focused Employer of the Year" Award.

The award recognizes companies in the UAE that place families at the heart of their workplace culture by implementing inclusive, supportive, and flexible policies and practices that empower employees to succeed both at work and at home, while advancing wellbeing, gender balance, and long-term organizational excellence.

Submission

Submissions should reflect existing or completed initiatives implemented during 2025 and/or 2026, rather than newly proposed plans. Please complete the sections below, outlining why your company should be recognized for this award. Kindly support your submission with evidence and demonstrate its measurable impact.

This award is open exclusively to SDG 5 Pledge signatories, and participation is free of charge.

Submission Deadline: 21 August 2026.

If your company is not yet a signatory of the SDG 5 Pledge, please express your interest to join.

Request to join

Personal Details

Full Name *

Job Title *

Email Address *

Mobile Number *

Application Form

Please complete the below questions. Supporting evidence must be uploaded at the end of the form.

1) Please explain why your company should be recognized as the Family-Focused Employer of the Year. What is the strategic rationale behind your commitment to supporting employees and their families, the addressed challenges, and how is this initiative reflected in your business strategy, organizational values, leadership priorities, and approach to gender balance? (Maximum 250 words) *

2) Kindly describe your most significant family-focused policies, programmes, initiatives, or practices that were/are active during 2025 and/or 2026. For each initiative, please outline its purpose, target beneficiaries, implementation period, and key features. (At least 300 words) *

3) Kindly demonstrate how your family-focused initiatives are implemented, communicated, monitored, and sustained. Include information on governance and accountability, employee awareness and engagement, mechanisms for monitoring participation and effectiveness, and how these efforts are embedded within workplace culture and day-to-day operations. (At least 300 words) *

4) Please demonstrate the impact of your family-focused initiatives. Include relevant data, participation and utilization rates, employee uptake and feedback, retention and engagement outcomes, wellbeing indicators, business benefits, or any other evidence that illustrates tangible results and long-term value for employees, their families, and the organization. (At least 300 words) *

5) Kindly upload supporting documentation that substantiates your submission. Examples may include policies, employee handbooks, internal communications, presentations, survey results, testimonials, case studies, reports, awards, photographs, videos, or social media content. Supporting documentation will be considered as part of the evaluation process and should clearly demonstrate the implementation and impact of the initiatives described above. *

Allowed file types: PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx)

Description *

Maximum 10 files. Total upload size must be 30MB or less.

6) If your company is selected for this award, does it permit the UAE Gender Balance Council to publicly share this recognition, including the reasons behind it, through PR and social media channels? *

Yes

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Any additional comments or questions?

I hereby confirm that all information provided is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand and acknowledge that once this form is submitted, I will not be able to modify or edit its contents. *

Family-Focused Employer of the Year Award Nomination Form

AWARD NOMINATION: FAMILY-FOCUSED EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Submission

Company Information

Personal Details

Application Form