Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, the Dubai Government Excellence Program hosted the signing of the Global Council for Excellence’s Declaration of Principles.

The signing of the Declaration was attended by His Excellency Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of Dubai Government Excellence Program. He was joined by the founding members of the Global Excellence Council, representing African Excellence Forum, Business Excellence Australia, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, China Association for Quality, Confederation of Indian Industry, European Foundation for Quality Management, Instituto para el Fomento a la Calidad Total, Mexico, Japan Quality Award, Malaysia Productivity Corporation, Iberian peninsula and Latin America, Fundação Nacional da Qualidade, Brazil, as well as the Dubai Government Excellence Program.

The Global Excellence Council includes 12 founding members from five continents and aim to define and promote the culture of excellence as a means of improving the competitiveness of organizations and their efficiency across the globe. This first-of-its-kind global council will work to develop joint events and activities in the field of quality and performance excellence among international partners. It will also highlight the best international practices in the management of quality and excellence accreditation, evaluate the most effective management practices, consolidate the foundations and principles of excellence, and stimulate the adoption of excellence models.

Commenting on the importance of the occasion, His Excellency Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti said: “The signing of the Declaration is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to establish a culture of excellence in government and institutional work. It is also a translation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, to provide an organized institutional framework for government development globally, to promote excellence and ensure high-quality service delivery. This announcement constitutes a promising new phase of joint international actions to recognize and amplify the world's leading practices and experiences in the field of government excellence – starting with those demonstrated by Dubai.

His Excellency added: “Dubai has established a global model in government excellence for the past 25 years, and its success has become an international standard. Today, it is sharing the world’s best practices in the field of excellence through the Dubai Government Excellence Program, thanks to a clear strategic vision established by the leadership with the aim of improving, developing and enhancing quality in all fields.”

His Excellency stressed that the meeting of the founding members of the Global Council for Excellence in Dubai, and the signing of its Declaration of Principles at the international level, is evidence that the city is now deemed as the global capital of excellence and quality.

The Best Government Practices Series

The Best Government Practices Series, which is being organized by Dubai Government Excellence Program, was re-launched today, with the participation of heads and representatives of government entities in Dubai and members of the Global Council for Excellence.

During the launch, His Excellency Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, and Chairman of the Dubai Government Excellence Program, emphasized Dubai’s success in establishing its position as a global capital of government excellence and innovation. He heralded the pioneering contributions of the Dubai Government Excellence Program to Dubai’s status through initiatives that embody the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council.

Al Basti said: “As we are celebrating the silver jubilee of establishing the Dubai Government Excellence Program, Dubai has succeeded in consolidating its position as a global hub for excellence and government innovation. Dubai Government Excellence Program played a vital role in achieving this status through its program, initiatives, and specialized events. Besides we have successfully evaluated and developed the performance of 32 government entities with an improvement of nearly 30% in the level of customer and employee’s happiness, and providing more than 1,500 training hours, besides evaluating more than 5,000 government employees, and honoring over 1,000 winners across various initiatives.”

The first day witnessed panel discussions that shed light on global experiences of building excellence and demonstrating leadership. H.E Lieutenant General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, participated in a session titled “The Role of Excellence in Achieving Leadership”, during which he reaffirmed that the UAE has been a country of distinction, and the achievements made by Dubai over the past years have directly contributed in consolidating the approach of excellence and leadership in government work, placing the Emirate in the ranks of developed cities globally and giving it the first position in many indicators.

His Excellency added: “The culture of excellence was established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and to work from the field to ensure people’s comfort, security, and well-being. This has always been the fundamental rule that inspires all government entities to distinguished excellence.”

Another session, entitled “Modern Global Trends for Excellence”, hosted members of the Global Excellence Council, including Russell Long Muir, CEO of European Foundation for Quality Management; Krishnan Parayil Mana, Principal Counsellor and Head of Business Excellence at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII); Matome Modipa, Chairman of African Excellence Forum (AEF) – South Africa; and was moderated by Dr. Hazza Khalfan Al Nuaimi, Coordinator General of Dubai Government Excellence Program. The session reviewed the best practices of government excellence based on the concepts of total quality, and ways to develop the performance of work teams to produce a creative generation capable of facing the future.

The closing session, titled “Dubai Government Elite”, shed light on the best government practices, and included the participation of Brigadier Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al Mualla, Director of the General Department of Excellence and Pioneering, Dubai Police; Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence, Dubai Electricity & Water Authority; Ahmed Behrozyan, Chief Executive Officer of The Public Transport Agency at the Road and Transport Authority; and Juma Al Ghaith, Executive Director of Customs Development at Dubai Customs. The session was moderated by Amal Salem from Dubai Media Incorporated.

The session discussed the journey of government departments in Dubai towards excellence based on a set foundation that includes anticipating the future, enhancing government readiness and flexibility, investing in human resources, building the capabilities of national cadres, and empowering them with the tools and skills necessary to participate in the development of frameworks and practices, which will reflect positively on the development process and enhance the leadership of the state and its global competitiveness.

The Best Government Practices Series aims to exchange knowledge and best-in-class experiences among government entities in Dubai to achieve leadership in government performance, and to present best practices in the field of performance management. Over the course of two days, the participants will review their government experiences and international best practices in line with the future directions of Dubai government to support efforts to raise the level of excellence and government performance.

From hi side, Dr. Hazza Khalfan Al Nuaimi, Coordinator General of Dubai Government Excellence Program, said: “Since its establishment 25 years ago, the Program has enjoyed continuous development. We were a founding member of the Global Excellence Council in 2018 and have witnessed comprehensive progress in the levels and mechanisms of evaluation and recognition, as well as introducing a series of improvements to work systems and initiatives aimed at enhancing the added value of the program. In signing the Declaration, we renew our commitment to share Dubai’s world-class expertise in the field of excellence with our partners.”

He concluded, Dubai is the first city in the Middle East to host the meeting of the Global Excellence Council, which has previously met in cities such as Brussels, Tokyo, Sydney, Washington, Sao Paulo, and Singapore.