Officials during the event in Abu Dhabi.

The Middle East Facility Management Association (MEFMA) has recently convened a group of facilities management (FM) leaders and stakeholders in Abu Dhabi in a high-level networking event organised to push for an all-encompassing regulatory framework to govern the region’s entire FM industry.

Held at the Radisson Blu on Yas Island and hosted by MEFMA Strategic Sub-Committee, the meeting on ‘Regional Legislation & Regulation in Facilities Management’ served as a platform for the attendees to examine the existing local, federal, and state laws and policies concerning regional FM activities. The participants consolidated the strengths of the current laws and collaborated to bridge gaps as part of the efforts to come up with unified and strong legislation.

Jamal Lootah, MEFMA President, said: “Stakeholders across the region should continue to work closely together throughout the phases of the legislative and regulatory development to ensure that all areas are going to be covered and all requirements are going to be met. The points discussed and raised during the networking event will lay the groundwork for a common, standardized approach that can be adhered to in the region in line with suitable industry practices. As for MEFMA, we will continue to play an instrumental role in facilitating communications among stakeholders to achieve the shared goals for the benefit of the industry and all concerned entities.”

During the event, a presentation and a panel discussion took place. The panel discussion focused on the objectives and benefits of having a legally compliant framework; the importance of regulating FM activities; challenges and non-compliance scenario; and the region’s capabilities to implement such a framework. They also tackled how to ensure that the framework would be at par with its international counterparts.