Fatima Bint Mubarak Al Ketbi

About

Emirati woman known as "Mother of the Nation" of the UAE and known as the third wife of the UAE's founding president Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and as the country's leading champion of women's education, health, sport, and family welfare. She is also known for chairing and leading several national institutions that have shaped social policy for half a century, including the General Women's Union, the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and the Family Development Foundation.

Before Fame

Her organized advocacy began in the early 1970s. She helped establish the UAE's first women's association in 1973. She then founded and then chaired the General Women's Union since August 1975. She continued creating and managing organizations for women and families for decades after. She founded The Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy in October 2010.

Trivia

She received the UNESCO Marie Curie Medal for education, literacy and women's rights, and she was the first Arab recipient of the award. She received Algeria's Athir Class of the National Order of Merit in 2005. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization recognized her contributions to women's empowerment and sustainable development in February 2025. She founded Emirati Women's Day which is celebrated every August 28th.

Family Life

She was born in Al-Hayer, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She grew up in a Bedouin and religious family. She married Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in 1960. She has six sons and two daughters. Her husband passed away in 2004.

Associated With

She is the mother of Sheikh Mansour Bin-zayed Al-nahyan and Sheikh Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.