President renames excellence award; VP says march towards Vision 2021 will continue

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid presents an award to representatives of one of the federal entities that came on top in one of the categories of the Emirates Government Service Excellence Award, in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. (photo by Nezar Balou)

The President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has ordered that the Emirates Government Service Excellence Award be renamed the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award as a tribute to the outstanding role played by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in leading the government’s work.

Shaikh Mohammed honoured the winners of the award, instituted three years ago, at a ceremony held in the Emirates Palace in the capital on Wednesday, saying Emiratis have, through dedication, generosity, sincerity and nationalism, built on the pillars laid by the UAE’s founding fathers and the march towards achieving the Emirates’ Vision 2021 would continue.

“When we assumed office of the federal government, some doubted if we were capable of development and progress,” he added. “I heard much talk, which I met with a smile, because we saw (citizens) with tremendous abilities and opportunity to make the entire nation happy.”

Expressing pride in the effective role played by the Emirati youth to drive government work, he said the UAE has outclassed many countries in the world and scored the top place globally in government efficiency in 2013.

Shaikh Mohammed urged government organisations to work in cooperation, exchange expertise, get acquainted with the creative practices, and harness knowledge. He also asked them to keep in touch with centres of excellence inside and outside the country to upgrade government performance. Underscoring that excellence is achieved by creative achievements, he said it requires everybody to work together for future progress.

The award, part of the Shaikh Khalifa Government Excellence Programme, aims to provide federal public institutions a road map to improve their performance and unify their management practice in a balanced holistic model. It recognises and showcases important achievements for the benefit of all federal entities and honours Emiratis citizens for their achievements in serving the country.

Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, read out the presidential address praising Shaikh Mohammed’s role in developing government work and reiterating his confidence in the Ruler of Dubai.

“Our Cabinet has become one of the best governments, our citizens have become among the world’s happiest peoples, and our leadership and management schools have become role models for the best practices,” the address said.

The Ministry of Interior bagged the lion’s share of the award by winning in 16 categories. The main categories in which it won included Distinguished Federal Entity (won by the Ajman Police General Headquarters) and Distinguished Federal Zone/Office (Sharjah Security Zone). In the Best Practice category, it won the Distinguished Federal Entity in performance management, electronic excellence, creativity, green applications and government communication. In the Teams category, it won the Distinguished Internal Performance Improvement Team and the Distinguished Services Development Team Awards. Khaleej Times