UAE under the leadership of Khalifa making steady progress: Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has affirmed that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is making steady progress in terms of all development indices.

He added, "The UAE government is continually following up these indices issued by prestigious international corporations, because retreat is not an option in our government."

Sheikh Mohammed was commenting on the results of the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum (Davos) for 2013-2014, in which the UAE advanced five positions in the total competitiveness of its economy in one year, from 25th last year to the rank of 19th this year, thereby coming ahead of such countries as France, Ireland and Australia.

"Thanks to the federal and local teams who are jointly working in line with a vision the term of which extends to the year 2021, as well as with agendas and plans that are continuously being revised and assessed as per our growing ambitions in all sectors, the UAE has been able to visibly stand out among the countries of the world," His Highness Sheikh Mohammed added.

"Our economy is continuously developing, and the indices for security and stability are the best globally. The welfare of our citizens is at the top of our priorities," he said.

The Global Competitiveness Report 2013–2014 is the World Economic Forum’s (WEF)  latest annual survey of the most efficient and dynamic economies, the UAE  moved up in the rankings to take second place in the region at 19th.

"Higher oil prices have buoyed the budget surplus and allowed the country to reduce public debt and raise the savings rate. The country has also been aggressive at adopting technologies and in particular using ICTs, which contributes to enhancing the country’s productivity," the report says.

Overall, the UAE's competitiveness reflects the high quality of its infrastructure, where it ranks a solid 5th, as well as its highly efficient goods markets (4th). Strong macroeconomic stability (7th) and some positive aspects of the country’s institutions such as strong public trust in politicians (3rd) and high government efficiency (9th) round up the list of competitive advantages of the UAE, according to the report.

The report noted that going forward, putting the UAE on a more stable  development path will require further investment to boost health and educational outcomes (49th on the health and  primary education pillar).

"Raising the bar with respect to education will require not only measures to improve the  quality of teaching and the relevance of curricula, but also measures to provide incentives for the population to  attend schools at the primary and secondary levels," the report says.

"The United Arab Emirates emerges as somewhat socially sustainable, although its environmental performance shows some weaknesses. Low youth unemployment and wide access to basic necessities (sanitation and drinking water) drive these fairly positive results."

Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Chairwoman of Emirates Competitiveness Council, described the Global Competitiveness Report  a testimonial by the international community  on the UAE's leadership and global stature among the most advanced and creative states.

"This achievement is the result of the wisdom of the leadership who aspire for fulfilling the UAE Vision 2021 which is aimed at taking the UAE to a position among the world's best countries by 2021. I hail the federal and local department for joining hands to produce this outstanding improvement in the past years," she said.

"Despite this progress and advancing positions (in the WEF report), we still have a lot of work ahead, and we, as individuals and institutions, will join hands and spare no effort to continuously advance the UAE to even higher positions," Minister Al Hashemi added.

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