UN voting record · Middle East
How the United Arab Emirates votes at the UN
The United Arab Emirates votes with the large majority on most resolutions. In 2025 it agreed with China and India on 92% of recorded votes (votes where each country's choice is listed) and with the United States on 8%, down from 34% in 2024. It normalized relations with Israel in 2020 but votes yes on every Gaza text and has abstained on every Ukraine text since 2025.
- 92%
With IndiaIn 2024: 85% - 92%
With ChinaIn 2024: 85% - 81%
With RussiaIn 2024: 65% - 8%
With the USIn 2024: 34%
Share of recorded General Assembly votes on which the United Arab Emirates and each country voted the same way, 2025.
Does the UAE vote with the US at the UN?
In 2025 the United Arab Emirates agreed with the United States on 8% of recorded votes, down from 34% in 2024. Among its Gulf neighbors it agreed most with Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar (99% each) and with Saudi Arabia on 97%. The "Principles of the 50", published by the UAE in 2021, say "the Emirates' foreign policy is a tool that aims to serve our higher national goals, the most important of which is the Emirates' economic interests" and "calling for peace, harmony, negotiations and dialogue to resolve all disputes is the basis of the Emirates' foreign policy." The United States voted no on 174 of 192 recorded votes in 2025, so most members' agreement with it fell.
The United Arab Emirates abstained on the yearly resolution on human rights in Iran from 2022 to 2025. It abstained on the yearly resolution on human rights in Syria from 2022 to 2024, then voted yes in 2025 when the text welcomed the fall of the Assad government. After the voting data ends in December 2025, Iran fired missiles and drones at the UAE and other Gulf states in February 2026, during the war that began with United States and Israeli strikes on Iran. The Security Council condemned the attacks in resolution 2817 in March 2026. The UAE said Iran "is liable for all injury and damage."
How does the UAE vote on Ukraine and Gaza?
The United Arab Emirates voted yes on four texts backing Ukraine in 2022 and 2023, starting with the resolution deploring Russia's invasion in March 2022. It abstained on suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council and on every Ukraine text since 2025. At the Security Council it abstained on a February 2022 draft on the invasion that Russia vetoed. Lana Nusseibeh, then the UAE's UN ambassador, called the result "a foregone conclusion" but said "the avenues for dialogue and diplomacy must remain open." Explaining the UAE's yes on the March 2022 Assembly resolution, Nusseibeh said it voted "to join other Member States in an appeal for peace, a just peace that endures because it recognizes the legitimate concerns of all parties." The UAE has mediated 26 prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.
The Abraham Accords of 2020 normalized relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, but the UAE voted yes on every Gaza text. In December 2023, 13 Security Council members voted for the UAE's draft demanding a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, with the United Kingdom abstaining, but the United States used its veto to block it. In September 2025 Nusseibeh, by then assistant minister for political affairs, said "Annexation of the West Bank would constitute a red line for the UAE." The UAE co-sponsored the Assembly text endorsing the New York Declaration on steps toward a two-state solution, which the Assembly endorsed in September 2025 by 142 votes to 10, with 12 abstentions.
- Mar 2022"Aggression against Ukraine"141 yes, 5 no, 35 abstainedYes
- Apr 2022Suspending Russia from the Human Rights Council93 yes, 24 no, 58 abstainedAbstained
- Feb 2025Peace in Ukraine, February 202593 yes, 18 no, 65 abstainedAbstained
- Dec 2023Ceasefire in Gaza, December 2023153 yes, 10 no, 23 abstainedYes
- Jun 2025Ceasefire in Gaza, June 2025149 yes, 12 no, 19 abstainedYes
- Sep 2025Endorsing the New York Declaration on a two-state solution142 yes, 10 no, 12 abstainedYes
Which countries vote most like the United Arab Emirates?
Compare with any country →In 2025 the United Arab Emirates agreed on 99% of votes with nine countries, including Bahrain, Guinea-Bissau, Kuwait, Mauritania, Qatar and Senegal. It agreed least with the United States, Israel, Argentina, Nauru and Paraguay.
Bahrain99%
Guinea-Bissau99%
Kuwait99%
Mauritania99%
Qatar99%
Senegal99%
9 countries at 99%
- United States8%
Israel24%
Argentina36%
Nauru67%
Paraguay72%
How did the United Arab Emirates vote on the big votes?
| Vote | United Arab Emirates | United States | China | Russia | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demanding a permanent ceasefire in GazaJune 12, 2025 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Adopted 149–12 |
| The New York Declaration on two statesSeptember 12, 2025 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Adopted 142–10 |
| A just and lasting peace in UkraineFebruary 24, 2025 | Abstained | No | Abstained | No | Adopted 93–18 |
| Suspending Russia from the Human Rights CouncilApril 7, 2022 | Abstained | Yes | No | No | Adopted 93–24 |
| Ending the US embargo on CubaOctober 29, 2025 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Adopted 165–7 |
Where does the United Arab Emirates sit?
The United Arab Emirates sits in the large developing-country group on the left of the strip, next to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
Egypt
Iran