Second cycle of ‘Sharjah Award for Public Finance’ launched

Inayat-ur-Rahman, Business Editor

The Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance — the first of its kind in the Arab world has announced the launch of the second cycle of the award, organised by the Sharjah Finance Department (SFD), in cooperation with the Arab Organization for Administrative Development.  

This comes after the award was suspended for four years due to the exceptional circumstances of COVID-19.  This year’s award features 17 different institutional and individual categories, technical and organizational participation conditions, and the award nomination criteria.

The awards were announced during a press conference held by the Board of Trustees in the presence of media professionals and partners in the Theater Hall at the headquarters of the SFD on Thursday. Attending the press conference were, Salem Yousef Al Qaseer, Chairman of the Board, and Dr Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Director General of the Arab Organization for Administrative Development, Waleed Al Sayegh, Director General of the SFD and Member of the Award’s Board of Trustees.

Strengthen and enable the success and sustainability of the financial sector in Arab countries

Salem Yousef Al Qaseer expressed his pride in launching the new cycle of the award, which aims to strengthen and enable the success and sustainability of the financial sector in Arab countries, by evaluating the level of commitment to standards and requirements of excellence in government financial work by institutions and individuals.

He stressed that the objectives of the award are in line with the directives of the Government of Sharjah under the leadership of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah - may God protect him - to enable and combine efforts to develop individuals’ skills, experiences, cultures, and creative abilities through creating value in businesses. He said this would lead to an economy that works to build an integrated nation with awareness and knowledge to achieve the sustainability and welfare of society.

For his part, Dr Nasser Al Hatlan Al Qahtani, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Director-General of the Arab Organization for Administrative Development, explained the role of the award in bringing about development and improvement in the concepts of public finance in the Arab world, and enabling policies and strategies related to public finance, praising Sharjah Executive Council Resolution No. (16) for 2022, regarding forming the Board of Trustees of the Sharjah Award for Public Finance. He expressed his appreciation for the re-assignment of the Arab Organization for Administrative Development, in coordination with SFD, to carry out the technical management tasks of the award in its new session and to implement marketing and promotion work throughout the Arab world.

He indicated that within the award’s development plan, the number of participation categories increased to 17, including nine institutional categories and eight individual categories, with the expansion of the list of targeted candidates from Arab countries and institutions, as well as the development of the award guide terms and conditions and standards, to be more compatible with the current financial and economic changes.

Sheikh Rashid Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Secretary - General of Sharjah Public Finance Award, clarified the list of institutional categories in which participation and nomination can be made, which are: the distinguished authority in public finance, the distinguished entity in electronic financial systems and applications, the distinguished entity in the management of financial projects, the distinguished entity in financial innovation, and the distinguished entity in the management of cash and sovereign funds, the distinguished authority in supervision, auditing and financial risk management, the distinguished authority in providing financial services, the distinguished authority in financial banking services, and the distinguished authority in the management of pension/social security funds.

On the level of individual categories, Sheikh Rashid bin Saqr Al Qasimi mentioned that they are represented by the distinguished Arab financial manager, the distinguished Arab budget manager, the distinguished Arab tax manager, the distinguished Arab accounts manager, the distinguished Arab electronic financial systems manager, the distinguished Arab procurement and contracts manager, the distinguished Arab financial controller., and the distinguished Arab financial accountant.

Nominations are now open and can be made by visiting the website - www.sharjahawardpf.org - and filling out the nomination forms before the end of January 2023.  Competent committees will review nominations during February and March 2023, and the results will be approved by the award’s board of trustees in April 2023.  The award’s introductory workshops and forums are scheduled to take place from October to December 2022, while the award ceremony will be organized in early May 2023.