His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said that the UAE has made significant strides in the quest to achieve government excellence over the past ten years. The standard and benchmark of excellence for the next phase is to make the UAE government the best in the world.
"We already have a decade of achievements. We want the UAE government to be the best in the world. We want every ministry and government entity to be the best in the world in the upcoming phase of government excellence. This is the standard and benchmark for the performance of government entities in the country," His Highness said.
"Under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE has become an inspiring model of excellence, leadership and efficient government work, as it has adopted a comprehensive approach to excellence, based on serving people and improving their wellbeing. This approach has received close follow-up from His Highness the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who represents the driving force behind excellence and a motivator for government working teams and UAE Nationals, who have transformed he experience of their government into an inspiring model,” Sheikh Mohammed continued.
These remarks were made by His Highness during the ceremony held to honor winners of the fifth edition of the 'Mohammed Bin Rashid Government Excellence Award' at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The event was attended by H.H. Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman and Chairman of Ajman Executive Council; HE Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of Federal National Council, FNC; Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, along with ministers and dignitaries.
Adding further, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said: "The outstanding people we have honored here today are an example of the members of our government team. We see an abundance of energy, potential and passion to serve the country and the community in every employee. To this end, we want to unleash this energy, enhance these potentials and nurture this passion to achieve the highest levels of outstanding performance.”
"Our country has been on a journey laden with excellence. Today, as we celebrate a decade since the launch of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program, we are proud of the achievements we compiled, which further enhanced our competitiveness, leadership and progress across various sectors and turned us into a role model to emulate. We are always ready to share our experiences and expertise with our brothers and friends for the good of people,” he noted.
"We expect the winners to build on their leadership and excellence; and our government team to exert even more effort to boost performance and efficiency. To the winning entities we say, a great responsibility comes with winning this award and you need to further build on the achieved results. We also call upon the other entities that did not achieve the coveted results to reconsider their performance and methodology and to endeavor to optimize their services, experiences and mechanisms," he continued.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai congratulated winners of the 'Mohammed Bin Rashid Government Excellence Award', stressing that, "winning excellence awards should serve as an incentive to achieve further excellence and to transfer experience and knowledge to the team.” He added: “This honoring is not an objective; it is merely a tool to encourage and mobilize efforts. We will follow-up the work of all the winners and assess their performance and development, because excellence is not a race that ends with honors, but a complete life cycle, in which individuals need to provide their best.”
Mohammed bin Rashid Sash
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid awarded His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation the ‘Mohammed bin Rashid Sash’ for his role in promoting the UAE’s diplomatic stature globally. The accolade also recognizes his leading initiatives that further cemented the UAE’s prestigious position and his achievements that led the UAE passport to rank number one in the world.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed also awarded the ‘Mohammed bin Rashid Sash’ to His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, for his instrumental role in making Dubai Airport one of the largest and busiest airports in the world, celebrating its one billionth passenger. The honoring also comes in recognition of his contributions for more than 30 years in promoting the UAE’s position and Dubai’s leadership in the civil aviation industry and in the achievements made by both Dubai Airport and Emirates Airlines.
Winners in the main categories of the award
His Highness honored the winners of the fifth edition of the 'Mohammed Bin Rashid Government Excellence Award' as follows:
In the main category, "the Leading Federal Entity" Award, granted to the entity with the best result in all Government Excellence System applicable criteria, the Ministry of the Interior won the category of ministries with more than 500 employees. His Highness the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai handed the award to HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
Both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment won an award in the Category of ministries with less than 500 employees. Minister of State for Financial Affairs HE Obaid bin Humaid Al Tayer and HE Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zayoudi received the awards respectively.
The Federal Civil Aviation Authority won the category of entities with more than 500 employees. The award was received by HE Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Authority and HE Omar bin Ghalib, Deputy Director General of the Authority.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) won the category of entities with less than 500 employees. The award was received by HE Talal Humaid Al Bahlul, Chairman of the Authority and HE Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, Director General of TRA.
The Ministry of Health and Community Protection won in the category of ministries with the most optimized performance over the past two years. The award was received by HE Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Owais Minister of Health and Community Protection, Minister of State for National Council Affairs.
The National Media Council also won in the category of entities with the most optimized performance over the past two years. The award was received by HE Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State of the President of the Council and HE Mansour Ibrahim Al Mansouri, Director General of the Council.
In the sub-category awards, the Best Entity in Field of Enablers Award, which is granted to the entity with the best result in the enablers’ pillar in areas of "Resource Management and Institutional Capabilities", was awarded respectively to the Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR). The award was received by Major General Salim Ali Mubarak Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Resources, on behalf of the Ministry of Interior and by HE Dr. Ahmad Bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, and HE Dr. Abdulrahman Abdul-Manan Al-Awar, FAHR Director General.
The award for the Best Entity in the Field of Innovation, which is granted to the entity with the best result in the innovation pillar, was awarded to the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The award was received by HE Omar bin Ghalib, Deputy General Manager of the Authority and the work team.
At the Main Criteria level, the Ministry of Community Development won the Award for the Best Entity in Services Provision, granted to the entity with the best result in the main criteria (seven stars services). The award was received by HE Hessa Bint Isa Buhamaid, Minister of Community Development.
In the same category, the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship(ICA) won the award, which was received by HE Ali Mohammed Bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Brigadier General Saeed Rakan Al Rashedi, Acting Director-General of Foreigners Affairs and PortsDepartment at ICA.
The Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship (ICA) also won the Best Entity in Stars System Classification, granted to the entity with the best result in the stars system classification within the scope of the main criteria (seven stars services).
The Ministry of Interior bagged the award for the Best Entity in the Field of Smart Government, granted to the entity with the best result in the main criteria (Smart Government). Brigadier Mohammed Hamid Dalmouj Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of the Office of His Highness the Minister of Interior received the award on behalf of the ministry. H.E. Nasser Thani Al Hamli Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation received the award granted to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation in the same category.
The Ministry of Interior was also awarded the Happiest Work Environment award, granted to the entity with the best result in the main criteria (human capital). The award was received by Lt. General Saif Abdullah Al Sha’far, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior.
In the Best Entity in Managerial and Financial Governance, granted to the entity with the best result in the main criteria (governance), the award went to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
In the award categories at the sub-criteria level, the Best Achievement of National Agenda award, granted to ministries and government entities with the best result in the sub-criteria (planning and following up on the implementation of the National Agenda), the award was obtained by three work teams: the National Indicator Team ("Sense of Safety"), the National Indicator Team (“Ease of doing business”), and the National Indicator (“Electronic and Smart Services").
Furthermore, the 'Mabruk Ma Yak' service was chosen as the ‘Best Joint Service’. The service was jointly developed by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Interior, Health and Community Protection, Finance, Dubai Health Authority, Health Authority of Abu Dhabi, Federal Authority for Identity and Nationality, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), Emirates Post Group, Dubai Smart, and the Abu Dhabi Systems and Services Authority.
UAE Medal of Pride
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai conferred the UAE Medal of Pride to UAE Nationals who have significantly contributed to the society in various fields or provided great services to humanity or people with outstanding individual achievements.
Recipients of the UAE Medal of Pride include:
HE Hamad Obeid Ebrahim Salem Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan
Since his appointment as head of mission in Islamabad, Al Zaabi has contributed to enhancing bilateral relations by building new partnerships and broadening the scope of economic and trade cooperation in all areas of common interest between both countries. He also endeavored to implement the UAE’s directives and foreign aid strategies to reduce poverty, by supporting the education and health sectors in Pakistan and coordinating humanitarian, charitable and development work in line with the UAE’s humanitarian efforts.
Her Excellency Hafsa Abdullah Mohammad Sharif Al Olama, UAE Ambassador to Brazil
She is one of the most prestigious female figures in the UAE and has played a pivotal diplomatic role in granting UAE citizens exemption from pre-entry visa to Brazil.
His Excellency Saeed Ali Khamis Al Kaabi
Civil Operations Team Leader for the Mission Winds of Goodness in Afghanistan for 4 years.
He is also a member of the UAE project team to help Pakistan and has served as Director of Humanitarian Operations as part of Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, contributing Food aid to more than 17 million Yemenis, including more than 11 million children, rehabilitating and supporting more than 60 health centers and hospitals, and vaccinating more than half a million children against poliomyelitis.
Engineer Amran Anwar Sharaf Al Hashimi
Project Manager of the UAE’s MarsMission - Hope Probe at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, who helped design and develop the remote sensing Earth observation satellites DubaiSat 1 and DubaiSat2 and presented a vision for the establishment of the Emirates Space Agency.
Ahmad Eid Al Muhairi
The leading scientist in theoretical physics and black holes; he is also the first Emirati to receive admission to postdoctoral studies at the Advanced Study Institute at Princeton University in the US. He holds a PhD in physics and recipient of the Best PhD thesis award at the University of California, in Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Engineering.
Nujoom Nasser Al Ghanem
The UAE poet, scriptwriter and film director, who produced many films documenting the Emirati heritage and history. She has received numerous awards and is a film, media and cultural consultant.
Bakhitah Mohammed Yousuf Mohammed Abdullah
The social assistant expert at the Ministry of Community Development, who joined the ministry in 1974. One of her most notable contributions was the implementation of the "Let’s Lend a Helping Hand to our People" charitable initiative, which was launched in 2011 and benefitted 5500 families.
Prime Minister’s Medals Winners
During the ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed also presented the Prime Minister's Medals for extraordinary achievements in different areas of excellence to a number of employees.
The Prime Minister's Medals winners are as follows:
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Undersecretary: Saif Ahmad Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Director General: Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, Director General, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Assistant Undersecretary: Dr Omar Al Nuaimi, Assistant Undersecretary for Communications and International Relations, Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Executive Director: Hessa Ahmad Al Shehhi, Maritime Transport Executive Director at the Federal Authority for Land and Maritime Transport
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Supervisory role: Humaid Mohammad Al Yammahi, Director General of Police Operations at the Directorate General of Police Operations at Fujairah Police GHQ, Ministry of Interior
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Customer Happiness Centre Director: Ali Ahmad Abu Al Zoud, Director of Traffic and Licensing Services Centre, Sharjah
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Technical/Technological Employee: Suad Salem Al Shamesi, technical project manager, TRA
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished engineer: Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Marzouqui, Director of Internet Development — Policies and Programs, TRA, and Me’aad Rashed Al Saadi, Network Engineer at the Ministry of Interior
The Prime Minister’s Medal for the Specialized Employee: Dr Wadhah Taleb Al Hanani, nuclear sites expert at the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR)
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Field Employee: Mohammad Ali Al Harbi, inspection expert at Barakah station at the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR)
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Customer Happiness Employee: Butti Suhail Al Ketbi, customer happiness employee at the Customer Happiness Centre at Shaikh Zayed Housing Program
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Doctor: Dr Nabeel Hammoud Al Subeeha, consultant doctor, primary care at RAK Dental Centre
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Teachers: Aisha Ali Al Duhouri, English teacher — Juwayriyya Bint Al Harith Girls Basic Education, and Rashid Ali Hashim, physical education teacher at Al Mutasim Primary School, Abu Dhabi.
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Innovative Employee: Mohammad Hamid Al Marzouqi, professor of chemical engineering, vice-dean of faculty of engineering, UAE University
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Administrative Employee: Ahmad Mohammad Al Shehhi, legal research assistant at Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished new employee: Abdullah Saleh Bu Ali, information security analyst at TRA
Youth: Heba Obaid Al Shehi, biologist in biodiversity department at Ministry of Climate Change and Environment
Special honors
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai also honored Ruqayyah Ahmad Al Shehi, head of the in-patient section at Al Qasimi Hospital, Ministry of Health and Community Prevention, with the Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Nurse.
He also granted the Prime Minister’s Medal for the Distinguished School Principal to Awad Al Aiyali, Head of Al Raya School, Dubai, in the School Operations Sector A, Ministry of Education.
The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Scholarship Student went to Ahmad Ibrahim Al Mansouri, BA in Public Policy, at Duke University in the US. The Prime Minister’s Medal for Distinguished Student scholarship in Higher Education went to Toqa Waddah Al Hinai, a PhD student in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT Boston).
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai also granted the Ministry of Finance the Most Influential Entity on the UAE's Competitiveness. The award was received by Obaid Bin Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs and HE Younis Khoury, Undersecretary of the Ministry.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation received the Special Honors Shield granted for the entity with the most number one rankings on global reports. The Shield was received by H.E. Nasser Thani Al Hamli, Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation and Saif Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry.
His Highness also honored the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment with the Special Honors Shield granted for the most Future-ready entity. The award was received by HE Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zayoudi, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment.
The Youth Councils initiative was awarded the Specials Honors Shield for the Most Distinguished Initiative and was received by HE Shamma Bint Suhail bin Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Saeed Mohammed Al-Nathri as Director-General of the Federal Youth Foundation.
40 candidates; 402 nominations
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, launched the Mohammed bin Rashid Government Excellence Award in 2009 as part of the Sheikh Khalifa Government Excellence Program, based on his vision to make the UAE Government one of the best in the world.
The fifth edition of the award witnessed the participation of 40 government entities, including 14 ministries and 26 bodies, which competed in 25 award categories, including 10 awards for federal entities and 15 Prime Minister’s Medals. The total number of nominations received by the award accounted for 530 nominations, including 402 for the Prime Minister’s Medals.