The new structure of the UAE government is a dramatic shift to allow it to function better for the benefit of the people and to prepare to meet the new challenges of the 21st century. The changes announced on Monday by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, are both a ringing affirmation of the UAE’s values, and also move the UAE government forward into a new style of governance where it will act by setting overall guidelines and targets, rather than managing much of its business itself.

There is a strong element of devolution in the restructuring that gets ministries out of the business of managing institutions such as schools or hospitals and instead asks the ministers to focus on their strategies. This focus on smaller and more targeted government is designed to make the ministries more flexible, while allowing more professional management of the government-owned institutions, even as the ministries retain control of the overall targets and standards.

Historical awareness

This business-friendly style of government management should bring in new thinking and encourage better management and new innovations, as the government and business communities work hand-in-hand to build the diverse economy that a sustainable UAE has to have.

A powerful thread running through the restructuring was the promotion of good education in a well-managed society. Combining education and higher education under one ministry means that the government will be able to maintain a better strategic focus for the entire government education sector. This is badly needed and is also essential for training and developing critical thinking that young Emiratis will need to tackle their future.

However, the Emiratis will need to preserve their identity and take it forward into the next century with confidence.

This requires historical awareness, but more importantly, it requires solid adherence to Emirati values that will be valid regardless of what century they are applied in, and this is the area where the re-focused Ministries of Community Development and also Culture and Knowledge Development will spend much of their time.

Socially focused

The new appointments of three ministers of state focusing on youth, happiness and tolerance show how the UAE is serious about working for the social benefit of its people. The new briefs are socially focused and deal with subjective issues, and that is exactly the area where the government needs to work in order to promote the type of society that the UAE wants to become by maintaining its traditional values into the distant future.

The UAE is an active global citizen and it plays a much larger part in world affairs than its small size might imply. This is not just a function of its wealth, but more importantly, it is thanks to the country’s determination to commit time and effort to build a coherent global community that humankind will need if it is to survive on Earth.

Thinking ahead

In this context, it is important that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gains responsibility for managing the UAE’s foreign aid, which will allow better coordination between the UAE’s various initiatives. It means that the political work of the foreign ministry can go alongside the aid work, so that the UAE can have a greater impact on what it does.

Shaikh Mohammad said these changes in government structure came after 10 years of government, during which period, a lot of the ground work was done in developing policies and tools that would allow the government to move forward with confidence. He said that the next 10 years will be about putting these plans into action and implementing some of the new thinking that the government has been nurturing.

The changes in structure, and in the thinking behind the purpose of government, are important examples to the world on how governments need to think ahead in order to face new challenges, while at the same time ensuring that the government is not just fit-for-purpose, but able to excel in its task of serving the people of the UAE.