Khalifa says emirate will work towards vision
Khalifa says emirate will work towards vision
Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan President of the UAE, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, said on Wednesday that the emirate will continue to work towards its vision of creating a secure and confident society and to build a sustainable, open and globally competitive economy.
The president's comment came on the occasion of launching a new policy agenda for the emirate for the years 2007 and 2008 on Wednesday in the capital.
“To ensure the realization of that vision, our government has prepared a policy agenda that reflects the vast array of integrated initiatives that are currently being implemented and that will be implemented in the future, to achieve sustainable development,'' he said.
The new agenda comes as a result of continuous discussions between the emirate's executive council and the different government departments.
“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 on Wednesday.
“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.
