Sheikh Mohammed fetes winners of the MBR award in Dubai on Thursday. WAM

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, honoured on Thursday the winners of the sixth version of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Excellence in Governmental Performance, in a ceremony organised by the UAE government at Expo 2020 Dubai.

During the event Sheikh Mohammed affirmed that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the follow-up of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has made excellence a fundamental value and a major goal for government work aimed at improving people’s lives.

His Highness also honoured Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Dr Anwar Bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to His Highness the President of the UAE, Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Sarah Bint Youssef Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology.

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, and a number of ministers and officials attended the occasion.

Sheikh Mohammed said: “We witnessed the honouring of the winners in the new version of the Government Excellence Award. We congratulate the nation on the march of excellence and the proud achievements under the leadership of my brother Sheikh Khalifa. We are proud of the performance of our ministries and institutions during the last period.

His Highness affirmed: “The Emirati model in government management proved successful in its regional and global performance. In the new fifties, the objectives will be greater and more distinguished. Our national cadres will lead the major transformation of our country’s projects.”

Among the institutional awards, the Award includes 17 categories, as it  witnessed the creation of new categories which were added to the institutional awards, to keep pace with the leadership’s vision for the future of government work.

It also includes 13 categories within the decorations of the Prime Minister, in which His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum honours distinguished models in their work who represented a good example for the government work team.

Moreover 251 candidates, 39 undersecretaries and general managers, and 85 assistant undersecretaries and executive directors from 30 federal entities were evaluated.

Sheikh Mohammed also honoured the UAE citizens with outstanding contribution to the establishment and service of the country who have left a positive impact on people’s lives.

Sheikh Mohammed honoured the Ministry of the Interior, the winner of the Leading Federal Entity Award in Sustainability of Excellence, in adding a new quality to the institutional award categories, granted to the entity that maintained a pioneering performance over the past years, and was able to see its inimitable leadership in consolidating excellence to become the first and most important criterion for its work and to become a role model for the rest of the parties.

A couple of days ago it was decided that the performance of government entities in Dubai will now be constantly reviewed throughout the year as part of the newly launched “Sustainable excellence” initiative designed to raise standards, drive efficiency and boost productivity in all sectors and departments.

Announced by the General Secretariat of The Executive Council of Dubai as part of an initiative by the Dubai Government excellence Program, the Sustainable excellence initiative will assess government entities based on criteria set out by the current excellence System and Elite Model. Previously, the performance of government entities in Dubai was reviewed every two years.

Sheikh Mohammed honours winners of MBR Award for Excellence in Governmental Performance, congratulates the nation on the march to excellence.