Shaikh Mohammad and Shaikh Hamdan
Shaikh Mohammad received a high-level Uzbek delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Abdukhakimov Image Credit: Dubai Media Office/Twitter

Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai said the UAE is deeply committed to working closely with the rest of the world to serve humanity. The UAE is keen to share success stories and experiences with other governments to help enhance people’s lives, he added.

Shaikh Mohammad’s comments came as he received a high-level Uzbek delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Aziz Abdukhakimov, in the presence of His Highness Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council; and His Highness Shaikh Ahmed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.

The meeting was also attended by His Excellency Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, and Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing and Director General of the Prime Minister's Office His Excellency Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi, along with senior officials.

“Building partnerships with world governments reflects the international policy of the UAE under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. We seek to share our unique model and innovative strategy for governance with the world as well as our success stories,” Shaikh Mohammad said.

He welcomed the Uzbekistan delegation and praised the relationship between the two countries. “Just a few weeks ago I met with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Today, we received a high level government delegation which is visiting the UAE to put in place mechanisms and detailed plans to implement a strategic partnership agreement signed between the two countries,” he added.

Shaikh Mohammad also praised the spirit of teamwork that characterised the meetings of the joint task forces formed to implement the agreement. The visit of the Uzbek delegation, which included 60 senior officials, is taking place less than a month after the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between the UAE and Uzbekistan governments

The delegation visited several UAE government entities and held joint meetings and workshops on issues of mutual interest. The partnership is focused on developing ways to apply best practices in government services and smart services, institutional performance, innovation and excellence, and leadership and capacity building.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two countries have formed 19 expert task forces to launch 57 joint initiatives in 2019 that will support the implementation of a business model aimed at helping identify solutions to future challenges facing the Uzbekistan government.

During this week’s meetings, the joint task forces held discussions on a range of areas, including government accelerators, government services, national strategic plans, government innovation, the future of education and economics, programming, global competitiveness, airports, customs and free zones management, foresighting, smart cities, ease of doing business, leadership programmes, capacity building and smart government apps.