Abu Dhabi: The UAE launched the “National Behavioural Reward Programme” on Saturday to develop proactive citizens by encouraging them to adopt a positive behaviour and incentivise positive behaviour through a point-based rewards system.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai launched the programme at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi on Saturday morning.
The programme is one of the initiatives of the Department of Behavioural Rewards of the Ministry of Possibilities to support and carry out the strategic framework and the national model for behavioural rewards, and the first programme in behavioural science focusing on three main pillars — the homeland, society and family.
The National Programme for Behavioural Rewards — Fazaa is considered globally unique as it encompasses rewarding offers for positive behaviour, and investing productive capacities in the society and employing them within an institutional framework.
The programme operates with a framework of several major pillars related to the society, some of which are healthy life, healthy nutrition, volunteering, compliance with laws and legislations and economy of knowledge and empowerment. All these pillars focus on highlighting the pioneering role of the Emirates in the field of behavioural development and contributing to achieving the goals of the “Emirates Vision 2021”.
The ‘National Behavioural Reward Programme’ aims to incentivise positive behaviour through a point-based rewards system that can be used in payments for government services. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid assigned Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan to lead the behavioural rewards management team, as part of the responsibilities of the Ministry of Possibilities.
National methodology
The team will work on a national methodology to motivate positive behaviour as an approved tool in the country to work on the nation’s strategic framework. The national model for behavioural rewards was approved by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed.
The launch of the National Behavioural Reward Programme as the first comprehensive programme is based on living a positive behavioural life and will be run in cooperation with Fazaa and a number of partners in the private sector.
Sheikh Mohammed stressed that positive citizenship is an important and indispensable element for building a society and developed a country, as it is the main factor in ensuring the strength of the societal fabric, in the face of various challenges, noting that authentic Emirati values were and are still the fortress of society. “Encouraging positive behaviour contributes to improving the quality of life and achieving the happiness of society. Our inherent values have always been a hallmark of the Emirati personality,” added Sheikh Mohammed.
Graduation ceremony
Sheikh Mohammed also witnessed the graduation of the first batch of the Professional Diploma in Behavioural Economics, one of the programme’s initiatives. The course aims to qualify the participants and develop their skills in analysing and motivating positive behaviour, in order to raise the level of UAE society and government readiness.
Sheikh Mohammed affirmed his confidence in the graduates’ ability to serve the institutions they belong to, and positively use the knowledge and experience they acquired for society. This batch will be the first building block for launching initiatives and building projects that apply the concept of positive behavioural change for members of society in every field, he said.
The Prime Minister also launched the smart app for the Behavioural Reward Programme (Fazaa). The app is an additional technical tool that maximise the benefits of the programme by facilitating and easing accessibility for the targeted segments of the community.
The programme focuses on spreading the message of behavioural science and adopting its outcomes, to empower the entire community and encourage them to adopt positive behaviours, support families, promote community interaction, and bolster the economy, as well as achieve the country’s comprehensive development. Over 90 behaviours were selected for the strategy.
The implementation of the programme will help encourage patriotism, ensure loyalty, spread good ethics, prepare a generation ready to lead the future, reinforce the UAE’s global position in competitiveness indexes, promote positive behaviours, and achieve the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021.
