Abu Dhabi: The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a decision on the technical regulations for emergency communications in vehicles (Ecall), in order to shorten the response time of emergency services by 40 per cent.
The approval came during the Cabinet meeting chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; and Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.
The faster emergency response through Ecall will ultimately contribute to cutting down the death toll on the roads by two per cent, to 10 per cent, and reduce serious injury cases by two per cent, to 15 per cent.
This seeks also to strengthen the country’s globally leading position by ranking the UAE among the top countries in the world in terms of the best response time to emergency calls, which is four minutes.
Sheikh Mohammed said: “I chaired, today at Qasr Al Watan, the UAE Cabinet’s last meeting before the summer break. First things first, we congratulated our children, students, of schools and universities alike, on the completion of their academic year and expressed our thanks to all education sector employees, including the Education and Human Recourses Council, presided by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed. We also reviewed the main preparatory works for the next academic year. To the graduates, we extend our best wishes for professional success, and to all students, we wish perpetual success.”
He added: “Today during the meeting, we reviewed a report on the achievements of the Emirates Council for Food Security in 2023, which included increasing the reserve of strategic food products in the UAE by 85 per cent in 2023, raising the grain storage capacity in the country by 34 per cent, providing an emergency storage capacity of hundreds of thousands of tons, and the signing of several international partnership agreements on food systems and sustainable agriculture. Our target is to sustainably ensure our food security, at all times, under any circumstances.”
Sheikh Mohammed said: “Today, we also reviewed the achievements report of the Emirates Research and Development Council for the year 2023, approved our national priorities for research and development, approved a set of global challenges programmes to finance research and development, notably research related to water desalination, and approved the development of a comprehensive strategy for intellectual property in this sector.”
He added: “Today, during the Cabinet meeting, we approved hosting several specialised international conferences and events, and reviewed the performance results of the Emirates Investment Authority and the financial results of the General Pensions and Social Security Authority."
Sheikh Mohammed said: ‘We wish everyone a wonderful summer break, along with their family members. We wish for our children to spend this vacation time in constructive activities that will bring them value, and further develop their skills and abilities. Our directive to everyone is that our country must remain lively and active, filled with vitality, and ongoing projects, in summer and winter alike.”
The Cabinet also examined the preliminary results of the UAE committee tasked with assessing damage from floods and rain on federal establishments and facilities. The Cabinet approved implementing urgent maintenance work within health facilities affiliated with the Emirates Health Services – UAE, in all affected areas in the country.
In the meeting, the Cabinet approved the issuance of a Cabinet decision regarding the services provided by the UAE Media Council and the transfer of media services currently provided by the Ministry of Culture, to the UAE Media Council.
