WGS 2026: UAE President presents Most Reformed Government Global Award to Paraguay President

Dubai: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presented Santiago Peña Palacios, President of the Republic of Paraguay, with the Most Reformed Government Global Award, one of the highest honours of the World Governments Summit.

The award was presented during the summit, which takes place in Dubai from 3rd to 5th February, with high-level global participation.

Sheikh Mohamed affirmed that advancing government capabilities is a vital priority for nations seeking to navigate the trajectory of the future. This involves enhancing the capacity to anticipate change and stay ahead of rapid transformations through an operational framework defined by efficiency, excellence, innovation and proactivity.

Sheikh Mohamed added that such a commitment is essential for governments to deliver a meaningful impact in their communities and secure a prosperous future for the coming generations.

Sheikh Mohamed stated that the World Governments Summit reflects the UAE’s vision and strategy to provide a global, open space for dialogue, partnerships, and the exchange of knowledge and expertise, celebrating the world’s most outstanding government experiences, and benefiting from innovative models that have driven progress in nations and governments and brought about major transformations in people’s present and future.

Sheikh Mohamed added, “I congratulate the Republic of Paraguay and President Santiago Peña Palacios on this well-deserved recognition with the Most Reformed Government Global Award. Paraguay has set an inspiring example of advancing government work based on efficiency, excellence, innovation, transparency, and good governance. I wish Paraguay and all nations around the world further success in serving their societies and driving prosperity and progress.”

The award ceremony was attended by Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, along with a number of Sheikhs, ministers, senior officials, and heads of state and their representatives participating in the World Governments Summit 2026.

The Most Reformed Government Global Award

The Most Reformed Government Global Award honours countries that set leading global standards in the quality of governance, transparency, sustainable development, and digital government, through a carefully selected set of international indicators that highlight national excellence in reform and innovation pathways.

In evaluating nominations for the award, the World Governments Summit relies on measuring economic progress, the strength of governance systems, institutional effectiveness, and the quality of development-oriented policymaking. The evaluation process is conducted in collaboration with knowledge partner Ernst & Young.

The assessment criteria include reevaluating the effectiveness, innovation, impact, and sustainability of public sector reform initiatives, through key pillars encompassing transparency and accountability. This is achieved by measuring the extent to which reforms support the national strategic agenda, contribute to shaping the future of governance, align with national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals, and demonstrate clarity of long-term vision and the policies underpinning them, in addition to enhancing government resilience, competitiveness, and focus on citizens’ needs.

The criteria also include a digital transformation pillar, which focuses on measuring the level of originality and transformational nature of reforms in rethinking government processes or service delivery models. This includes the novelty of the idea or approach, the use of modern technologies, and the extent of transformation achieved - whether structural, procedural, digital, or cultural - alongside the presence of forward-looking, innovative, or experimental governance practices.

The governance pillar evaluates the strength and effectiveness of implementation processes, governance models, and coordination mechanisms among stakeholders, including clarity of frameworks, definition of responsibilities and accountability, effectiveness of collaboration among government entities and with other sectors, change management, leadership commitment, and institutional capacity building.

The award also measures the level of development and self-improvement by assessing measurable outcomes and the extent to which reforms contribute to delivering tangible value, such as measurable improvements in performance in terms of efficiency, quality, accessibility, and cost rationalisation, as well as enhanced citizen satisfaction, trust, and inclusion in services and policies, and long-term systemic impact on governance or national development.

The award further evaluates contributions to the integrated ecosystem by measuring the long-term sustainability of reforms and their applicability or replicability, the institutionalisation of policies and procedures within organisational structures, financial and operational sustainability, and the potential for replication or scaling at regional, national, or international levels.

The criteria also encompass a citizen-centric innovation pillar, which measures levels of inclusiveness and transparency in the reform process, the depth of citizen participation and integration of their views and feedback into decision-making, partnerships with the private sector, academia, and civil society organisations, as well as the availability of effective transparency and communication mechanisms.

The World Governments Summit serves as an incubator and enabling environment for government innovation, and as a platform to celebrate exceptional achievements by leaders, entities, and government initiatives worldwide, through the World Governments Summit awards, which honor the Best Minister, Best Teacher, best technological solutions, edge–of-government innovations, and future-readiness enhancing experiences, as well as practices and projects that support sustainability, reflecting its mission to disseminate and institutionalise government knowledge and to celebrate the most distinguished models of government work.