Dubai: Global government and business luminaries told a major best-government practices forum on Tuesday that core public sector values such as discipline, devotion and trust are key to achieving happiness in society.
These values will help government workers deliver an inspirational Dubai Expo 2020 when millions of visitors converge on the world’s fair in the emirate in a few years, expert speakers remarked at the Dubai Forum for Government Best Practices 2017 at Dubai World Trade Centre.
More than 2,000 delegates spilt into Rashid Hall on the first of the two-day conference to hear top minds explore how inspiring governments help shape the future and achieve happiness, this year’s theme of the 10th annual forum in Dubai hosted by the Dubai Government Excellence Programme and the Executive Council.
Abdullah Mohammad Al Basti, secretary-general of the Dubai Executive Council, welcomed a packed lecture hall to the signature event.
Speaker and former Saudi Ambassador to Japan Dr Abdul Aziz Turkistani, lauded Dubai’s leadership and its commitment to ensuring services that improve lives of constituents.
“To change and create a new identity and future in the Arab world, I believe Dubai could be one of the leadership models we could follow towards a culture of happiness,” he said.
Asked for one word of advice to help government employees dig deeper for inspiration, Turkistani said the master keyword for success in his mind is “devotion” — if you want to be successful, you have to be devoted, it comes from within.”
Speaker Lt-General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Deputy Chariman of Police and General Security in Dubai, reminded delegates that all one needs to do to seek inspiration is look to the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founding father of the nation, for his exceptional ability to inspire a new country to embrace its future.
Noting that politics and ethics usually never meet, Lt-Gen Dahi Khalfan said Shaikh Zayed rose above to “combine politics and ethics together in the same orbit. His politics was created on the basis of trust”.
Shaikh Zayed “also created a new leading generation. These are the characteristics of an inspirational leader”, he said, adding the UAE’s current leaders have continued the stewardship of the country to forge an identity for the emirates.
Dimitri Kerkentzes, deputy secretary-general of Bureau International des Expositions, led an motivational address looking back at a slew of world expos and how they have transformed from industrial and materialistic concerns to modern humanitarian values today that help inspire and shape host cities to become happier homes for millions.
Shored up by government efforts, the celebration of “art, music, dance, science and interactive displays” in Dubai will inspire, Kerkentzes said.
Expo 2020, he said, “will reinforce Dubai as a place where ideas, creativity and connections bloom. Expo, in my opinion, will contribute to making people happy in many ways,” Kerkentzes said. “Expo is a way for citizens to come out to the world and engage in conversation.”
Idris Jala, former Malaysian cabinet minister and Shell business executive, reminded delegates that often a big hurdle to enacting meaningful social policy “is that most government plans are too high level and they don’t drill down”.
Some of the best tools to achieving inspiring government leadership, he said, is following two important work ethics, “discipline and action”, he said.
Uhoud Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness and Quality of Life, will address the forum on Wednesday.
Forum award winners
On the second day of the Dubai Forum on Wednesday, winners of the annual Dubai Government Excellence Programme Awards will lead panel sessions and lectures, providing in-depth experiences and insights that earned them top honours at the 20th awards.
A mainstay of the Dubai Government Excellence Programme, the awards recognise outstanding merit in an array of categories, including best entity in service provision, best entity in the field of smart government, best entity in the field of innovation, best achievement of Dubai Plan 2021, the happiest environment, best government entity for people with determination, Dubai Government medal winners and innovative employees.
