ABU DHABI — UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared on Wednesday that January 7 will be marked each year as Zayed the Founder Day, a new national occasion honouring his father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who led the country from its founding in 1971 until his death in 2004.

The first observance will be held on January 7, 2027, a Thursday, according to the announcement published by the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office.

The declaration adds a permanent date to the Emirates' national calendar and gives the government body responsible for Sheikh Zayed's legacy a yearly fixed point to build its programmes around.

Sheikh Mohamed set out the decision in a post on X on Wednesday morning. "Today, we declare 7 January as Zayed the Founder Day, a new annual national occasion dedicated to celebrating his enduring legacy, transforming wisdom into action, and ensuring these values continue to inspire our nation on its steadfast path of progress towards the future," he wrote.

The President said his father "forever remains in the hearts of the people of the UAE," and described him as a leader who "led efforts to establish the Union, laid its foundations, and nurtured its development."

In the longer text carried by Gulf News, Sheikh Mohamed said his father's "belief in unity, in people, in giving, and in our responsibility towards future generations laid the foundations upon which our country was built and continues to progress." Those values, he said, are "not only a legacy we preserve but a source of guidance that inspires us to continue building our nation and contributing to a better future for all."

The choice of date carries its own arithmetic. Written in the Emirates as 7/1, it points to the seven emirates Sheikh Zayed brought together as one state, and to 1971, the year the federation came into being, Gulf News said in an explanation of the decision.

The placing of the day at the head of the calendar year is also deliberate, the newspaper said. Schools, workplaces and institutions will be opening a new year when January 7 comes round, which the government says gives them a point at which to take up Sheikh Zayed's values and carry them through the months that follow.

Neither the President's post nor the announcement issued through the Abu Dhabi Government Media Office said whether January 7 would be a day off.

The occasion is an initiative of The Founder's Office, which Gulf News said is mandated to lead, guide and enable work on the life, legacy and values of Sheikh Zayed and on public engagement with them. The office intends to use the date each year to launch and showcase projects in education, culture, research, content, community participation and events, and the work is to run on after January 7 rather than end with it, the newspaper said.

The office has been building towards a larger role. In February, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, approved its strategic plan, which set out a national framework intended to keep Sheikh Zayed's life and principles a "living source of inspiration for current and future generations," according to The National.

Sheikh Mansour welcomed Wednesday's announcement in his own post on X. "The greatest tribute we can pay to Sheikh Zayed is to ensure that his approach remains alive in our hearts and minds," he wrote, in remarks published by Gulf News.

Other rulers and senior figures followed, among them Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi and Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, The National reported.

Sheikh Zayed ruled Abu Dhabi before the federation existed and united the emirates on December 2, 1971. He then served as the country's first president until his death in 2004, a span of 33 years, Gulf Business said.

His record abroad is central to how the state presents him. During his presidency, the country's humanitarian and development aid exceeded 90 billion dirhams and reached 117 of the 193 member states of the United Nations, The National reported.

The commemoration is not the first attempt to fix that record in public life. The Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi opened last year to coincide with National Day celebrations, The National said, in what it described as the country's efforts to promote and preserve Sheikh Zayed's legacy. On August 6, Sheikh Mohamed marked 60 years since his father became Ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966, Khaleej Times reported.

What separates the new occasion from those tributes is that it repeats. Gulf News said the day is meant to be open to people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds, and to deepen awareness of Sheikh Zayed among audiences outside the Emirates as well as within them.

Before the first Zayed the Founder Day arrives, the country marks National Day on December 2, five weeks ahead of the Thursday in January when the new date is observed for the first time.