taqdeer award
The closing ceremony for labourers and companies that participated in the fifth edition of Taqdeer Award 2022. Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: The Taqdeer Award, held under patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, continues to receive applications from companies desiring to be nominated for the Award in its sixth cycle in 2024. The Award nomination applications run on its website until the end of February 2024 through the following link: http://portal.taqdeeraward.ae/Registrations/Awards .

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It is expected that the Award will witness an increase in the number of nominated companies in its various categories compared to the previous five cycles, due to expanding the Award scope to include domestic and global companies and allocating a Dh1 million award for the winning company with the highest rating in the seven-star category, in addition to additional incentives and competitive advantages offered to the winning company by the government entities and the Award sponsors.

Launch of the Registration Process

As companies begin to register for the Award, Major-General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, Chairman of the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs in Dubai, and Chairman of the Taqdeer Award, expressed his satisfaction with the progress made so far.

He said: “We are truly pleased and proud of what the Award has managed to achieve in its five cycles. With the support of the sixth cycle of the Taqdeer Award, we are seeking to achieve higher success and greater engagement of companies. Guided by the directives of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Patron of the Award, we have expanded the Award’s scope to become a global initiative and a seven-star global award as of its current cycle after being a local one awarded only in the Emirate of Dubai. Registration has been open for companies and institutions to compete for this prestigious award.”

He expressed his deep appreciation of the directives and support of Sheikh Hamdan describing his support as the compass that guided them to achieve major achievements leading to universality. This, in turn, strengthens Dubai's balance and enhances its reputation as the best city in the world to live and work. Major-General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor further stressed that transforming the Award into a global initiative will be a turning point in the lives of millions of workers around the world and will create work environments that stimulate more creativity and dedication to work in a way that serves the global economy as a whole.

We are truly pleased and proud of what the Award has managed to achieve in its five cycles. With the support of the sixth cycle of the Taqdeer Award, we are seeking to achieve higher success and greater engagement of companies.

- Major-General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai, Chairman of the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs in Dubai, and Chairman of the Taqdeer Award
What is the Taqdeer Award?
Taqdeer is a competitive award designed for companies geared towards the well-being and welfare of their workforce and seeking to improve their quality of life. This Award was launched for the first time in Dubai in 2016 and is organised every two years to give companies a chance to meet the eligibility criteria and requirements necessary for nomination. The award scope was extended from local to regional and global and it has the unlimited support and backing of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council. There are seven company categories in total, starting from the one-star category up to the newly added seven-star category. This Award also incorporates the highest international standards in the field of labour welfare such as appointments, wages, quality of facilities, infrastructure, healthcare and safety as well as transparency, justice, innovation, creativity, and workers’ impressions of their work environment. Taqdeer Award has been successful in motivating companies, particularly the major ones, towards making tangible improvements that have now become part of their adopted employment policies in line with the Award criteria.

An international media campaign

An integrated international media campaign using Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered technologies will also be launched as part of this initiative, within the framework of Dubai government's vision that believes that the world will be a more beautiful, better place if humans, who are the center of the universe, are happier and more satisfied. That is when the individual's role integrates with the state's and the government's in improving quality of life and community welfare.

Developing the Award criteria

The Award criteria have been developed keeping in mind the increasing challenge facing companies around the world and to enhance competition for leadership and excellence in the field of labour welfare. The approved smart evaluation system is considered the first of its kind in the world, as the evaluation methodology is based on AI used to evaluate the nomination applications and generate results for each of the Award criteria. The team of evaluators then reviews the results and matches them with the attached documents to ensure absolute accuracy. This feature helps evaluators conduct this methodology remotely and from anywhere.

The Dh1 million award, additional advantages and incentives

Taqdeer Award goes global
File photo from September 2023: Major-General Obaid Muhair bin Suroor, Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFAD) announcing the new cycle of the Taqdeer Award at a press conference in Dubai.

Taqdeer launched a prize worth Dh1 million for the first time in its sixth cycle, awarded to the golden company that holds first place and the highest rating in the 7-star category.

The Award has created unique initiatives that are considered the first of their kind in the world. The most prominent of these initiatives is signing memorandums of understanding with 12 government entities in Dubai, under which Dubai is required to provide major incentives to the winning companies classified in the four- to seven-star categories to be eligible for more than 65 government incentives from these entities. It has also launched two loyalty cards: the Golden Excellence Card for companies and the Blue Excellence Card for individuals.

These cards are offered to the winning companies’ owners and their employees for their excellence in the field of labourers’ welfare, in a large honouring ceremony attended by senior government officials, general managers, and representatives of the winning companies. Companies and employees are offered great discounts and benefits, and their reputation is enhanced nationally and globally. The Award enables companies to win more projects and bids from some government entities supporting it.