Maktoum bin Mohammed honours Qatar’s Minister of Public Health with Best Minister Award

His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE, today honoured Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari, Qatar’s Minister of Public Health, with the Best Minister Award during the World Governments Summit (WGS) 2024.

The award ceremony was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah; His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar; His Highness Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence; and His Excellency Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, and Chairman of the World Governments Summit.

Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari has a long record of accomplishments that align closely with the award’s focus areas of socio-economic impact, innovation, resilience, future-readiness, good governance and integrity.

Under the first focus area, Dr. Al Kuwari was instrumental in launching the World Health Organization’s (WHO) office in Qatar to support national health objectives and contribute to the health sector at regional and international levels.

Under the innovation impact focus area, Dr. Al Kuwari led a major digital health initiative targeting children and teenagers, resulting in the launch of GenMove, a games app that uses advanced movement tracking combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to provide 8–15-year-olds of all fitness levels with a vigorous video game experience.

Under the focus area of resilience and future-readiness, Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health, led by Dr. Al Kuwari, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in an exemplary way by dedicating a hotline to receive queries. The Ministry’s response to the pandemic also included facilitating individuals access to clinical services and support, and the launch of virtual services, including emergency care, phone consultation for outpatient care and home delivery of medicine.

Under the Good Governance and Integrity focus area, Qatar in 2022 became the first country to have its municipalities recognised with the Healthy City status by the WHO, reflecting Qatar’s commitment to promoting health and quality of life.

Celebrating government excellence
The Best Minister Award, organised by the WGS Organisation in partnership with PwC Middle East, celebrates exceptional efforts to inspire and lead other government leaders and service providers towards deploying innovation and foresight in shaping public discourse on global issues of today and tomorrow.
The Award highlights the exceptional contributions of government ministers who have demonstrated excellence in the public sector and led the design and implementation of successful, scalable, and sustainable initiatives for the socio-economic advancement of their citizens.

Stringent criteria
In its seventh edition, the Best Minister Award focused on successful, scalable projects and initiatives, whose positive impact on communities shows high levels of resilience, readiness, innovation, future foresight, as well as a commitment to good governance and transparency.

The selection process for the winner, featuring a rigorous assessment of achievements at both macro and micro levels, identifies countries that rank within the top four globally in major macro and socio-economic aggregated indices. These indices include Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index, the World Governance Indicators, the Human Development Index, and the Happiness Index.

Shortlisted ministers are closely assessed by a judging panel comprising high-level government officials and C-Suite individuals from renowned corporations. A decision is then made based on the following weightage for key criteria: 40% for innovation, 25% for impact and inclusivity, 20% for continuity and feasibility and 15% for presentation.
Launched in 2016, the first Best Minister Award was given to Greg Hunt, Australia’s Minister of Environment. The award reflects the WGS Organisation’s objective of celebrating innovative initiatives that positively impact the lives of individuals.

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