UAE | Government
Abu Dhabi announces policy agenda
The government of Abu Dhabi has launched a new policy agenda for the future development of the emirate in general and the government in particular.
- By Ahmed A. Elewa, Staff Reporter
- Published: 18:04 August 1, 2007
- General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council announced the Policy Agenda for Abu Dhabi.
- Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: The government of Abu Dhabi has launched a new policy agenda for the future development of the emirate in general and the government in particular.
Click here to view Abu Dhabi Policy Agenda in full (pdf)
The new agenda specifies in details the objectives and projects for the different government departments for 2007 and 2008.“We have been for some time discussing with all government departments to materialize this agenda which represents a vision or a plan for the coming period and the role of the different departments in this plan,'' General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of UAE Armed Forces, told reporters.
“What we avoided in setting this plan are typical third world practices of setting plans and ending up in wasting effort and money, in short this agenda focuses on providing teamwork according to a unified vision and a set timeframe,'' Shaikh Mohammad said.
The agenda also strengthens the concept of accountability, as all targets will be reviewed quarterly.
“For a long time now, it has been typical that government's officials and executives are always reluctant to speak to the press, or avoid commenting on anything.
"This has changed from now on, as the principle of accountability entails that the government opens up to the media, which will provide for a barometer for progress,'' Mohammad Ahmad Al Bawardi, Secretary General of the Executive Council, said.
The transparency and teamwork in addition to the set targets all come within the framework of enhancing the government performance up to the best international practices level.
“We are setting the best practices of the best five governments worldwide as our benchmark, as we intend within five years to be among the top five as well,'' he said.
The plan stipulates as well the outsourcing of all non-core government activities to the private sector.
“The government will shift completely to its planning and core activities, while the private sector will step up further in sectors like handling solid waste, management of parks which is already happening,'' Al Mubarak explained.
The agenda provides as well for the element of flexibility as it will be updated in accordance with any new targets or projects set by any government entity. The agenda is available for the public on the portal of Abu Dhabi government on the internet.
A NEW BODY FOR HOUSING ISSUES
The government of Abu Dhabi plans to launch soon a specialized body to deal with and handle all the property and housing related issues to streamline the sector within the scope of a single authority, Khaldoun Al Mubarak, member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, revealed.
“Housing has a top priority within the policy agenda, and within the coming few months a new body will be launched to manage this sector according to the best practices,'' he said.
GRADUAL PROGRESS TOWARDS ELECTIONS
The principle of accountability set by the new policy agenda represents a first step towards incorporating the public in the government process according to Mohamed Ahmed Al Bawardi, Secretary General of Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
“We will evaluate the progress periodically and update the plan according to new goals or targets set by any government entity in a transparent manner. Such transparency provides for accountability on various levels, between the executive council and the different departments, and through the media as well,'' he said.
“This represents a step towards setting elections at the local level in our gradual approach to the subject matter, following the footsteps of the federal government, where partial elections are already in place,'' he added.
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